The Shadows Of Time - The Ressurection Saga
by Nomad558
Summary: Hood returns to the city, where there are several surprises awaiting him, one of which a friend and another a close enemy


THE RESURRECTION

Chapter 36  
A new friend and adventure

"When I look into my window....what do ya think I see.....some other cat looking over...his shoulder right back at me.." Hood song too himself as he walked down the path in the forest. It was about 7 in the evening, and the sun had hidden itself behind Eagle mountain  
"Wonder how them rats are doin." Hood asked himself as he finished his last apple, without realising it.  
Swift looked at him, as if to say to he wanted some aswell. "Sorry Swift, that's the last of it." Hood looked down at him a gave him a stroke on the head.  
What the remarkable thing about Swift was, was that at night his eyes turned a neon green. That helped Hood when he did a bit of work.  
His last job for instance was back at the border between the forest and the desert. Some tribe had tons of slaves. Hood first robbed the tribe, for what they had and freed the slaves, giving them the stolen goods.  
As return he got to stay the night and got some food. He thought it was probably the exact same thing his idol would do, Robin Hood.  
After about some time the two travellers rested at an abonded mill, which had slightly crumbled.   
Swift was chewing on a bone he'd found near the mill. The bone probably belonged to some adult that died some time ago. Hood was practising his sword fighting in front of the mill.  
He thought of Karen, who he hadn't thought of for a long time. In all his travelling, he hadn't heard anything about her. No rumours, or anything. It was like she had dissapeared off the face of the earth, well New Zealand anyway.  
Hood noticed some movement coming from a bush, and remembered one of the rules from the Horror Movie Survival guide. 'Rule 4, the noise coming from the bushes, is never just a bunny rabbit!.'  
Hood walked slowly to the bushes, pretending he was still practising and didn't notice the noise. Swift also noticed and begun to growl. He left his bone for what it was, and walked to behind Hood.  
"Hidding in the bushes is the last place I'd try to spy from on me." He said, still not looking to the bush.  
A girl appeared from the bush. She had long, dark hair with big blue eyes, dressed in a low cut top and hipster flares.  
Hood turned around and lowered his sword. "Pretty good." She replied. She walked in to the open field where Hood and Swift were. Although Swift sounded pissed off he didn't attack and stayed behind Hood.  
The two teenagers turned to each other. The girl surprised him by grabbing a sword of her own from back.  
It might have been as thick has Hoods, but it looked professional.  
"And who are you?" Hood asked, but as reply the girl swung her sword to Hoods head, which he easily blocked.   
The two started to fight. Though Hood noticed she was obviously doing this for fun, as she was a better ballerina than swordswoman. Swift watched as the two fought. He wasn't taking much notice of it as he to so she was merely playing with Hood.   
After about a while they were both getting tired, although both changed tactics every few minutes.  
"So why are we fighting?" Hood said as he blocked another attack from the girl. He was finding this quite amusing as the girl tried her best at controlling her sword, which looked like it controlled her.  
"Just making sure." The girl replied and blocked an aimed hit for her stomach. "Sure of what?" Hood asked, after jumping over the girls sword. "That you're good enough." The girl answered, smilling, knowing she had a trick up her sleeve. Hood saw this as well.  
The girl spinned around and stood behind Hood, though before she knew it, she had fell on her back and dropped her sword. Hood held his sword inches from her face. "So you're telling me, we've been fighting for now reason?" Hood laughed a bit. "Basically, yes." The girl said. "Good practise though." Hood said and pulled his sword back.   
Hood stretched his hand out to her. "Hood." The girl took it, and Hood pulled her up. "Maria." She said and picked up her sword.   
"Any other hidden motives?" Hood asked, before putting his sword in it's harnass on his back. "You tell me." Maria said and also put her sword away.   
Swift decided the fight was over and walked over to Hood. "Irish wolfhound?" Maria asked looking at Swift. "No, actuall Wolf." Hood answered patting swift on the head. Maria's face turned slightly less happy.  
"Don't worry, Swift wont bite ya. Unless you bite him first... or me." Hood grinned.   
"Where ya headed?" Maria asked.   
"The city. You?" Hood wondered where a girl like that would be going to on her own.  
"Same way, appearantly." Maria said smilling.  
They started walking on the foot path through the forest to the city, just talking. Hood was still suspicous though, but decided he could find out later, what 'Maria's' real name was.

Chapter 37  
Chaos reigns supreme

"So you're telling me, that Zoot is back?" Hood looked at Maria surprised as they walked along the street.  
They'd been walking for about an hour or three and had arrived in the city.   
"Yeah. Some say, he is actually a God." Maria explained.  
"I'll be dammed if he is." Hood said a bit pissed off.  
"Though I'm thinking something else happend." Maria made Hood curious at this point.   
"I think the virus has mutated again and now restores any human body." This was probably the only logic answer that could be, seeing as the virus had mutated twice before. One time killing the adults and one time making the teenagers age.  
"Therefor, restoring the body to it's fullest potential. Meaning that Zoot is back and remembers everything that happend before he died." Hood said.   
Swift turned his head as a he saw a black cat with white streaks walk behind a fence. Swift growled a bit.  
"Don't bother swift. She'll be gone before you know it." Hood said looking at the cat.

The two travellers, three if you included Swift, stood in front of a bar. Several people were just talking around the entrance. A large bouncer at the front looked at them. The three of them walked up to the door, though the doorman stopped him.  
"No dogs!" He said, pointing at Swift.   
"Well, that's okay then. Swift her is a wolf." Hood explained with a grin.  
The bouncer changed his facial expression to a more frightened one and let the three travellers in.  
Maria and Hood sat down at the bar. Swift sat on the ground next to Hood. The rather drunk looking guy next to swift looked at him and said, "Nice kitty." and then staggered off outside, spilling most of his drink on the ground.  
The bartender walked to Maria and Hood. She was about 16, wearing a blue dress with loads of necklaces and had a lot of rings on both hands.  
"What will it be?" She asked, looking suspicously at Hood.  
"I'll just have a margarita." Hood said. Eventhough it was a bit warm in the bar, he didn't take his hat off.  
"Barcardi." Maria said. The barmaid looked at Maria even more suspicously.  
"Ohh, and a bowl of water." Hood quickly added.   
"Who's that for?" The barmaid asked, looking surprised.  
"For my pet Wolf." Hood answered, nodding down next to him. The barmaid looked down and saw Swift.  
She turned a strange colour of white and then gave the drinks, including the bowl of water.

Behind Hood and Maria was a really large guy with long dark blond hair and was pretty muscular, and was armwrestling a guy with ripped sleeves and blue dreadlocks. The big guy clobered the other one and won the match. The big guy probably was 17 or 18 and had a green t-shirt and blue jeans.

Two Locos entered the bar. They were in their old uniforms. Old biker suits with paint and armour on them, the these didn't have their helmets on, probably meaning they were off duty.  
"So what does Zoot wanna do first?" One of the locos asked the other as they sat down at the back at a table. "He wants us to put up these posters firstly." The other said, and rolled out a poster on the table.  
It was in an old western style. The poster said 'Wanted, alive!' Beneath that was a sketched picture of a figure. It had a cowboy hat, and a high collar, all in black. On the face were sunglasses.   
Beneath the sketch was printed with stencils, 'Hood. Reward: 100 credits'  
"Why does Zoot want this guy anyway?" The Loco asked the other.  
"Don't know." The other replied.

Hood at this point had stopped listening to Maria and was listening in on the locos conversation. He had only taken a couple of sips from his drink.  
Maria was looking at a short guy talking to the barmaid. He looked about 12 and had blue spiked hair.  
One of the Locos got a glimpse of Hoods hat and then looked at the poster. He then noticed the high colour of Hoods long leather raincoat and then looked back at the poster.  
"Hey, you!" The Loco shouted to Hood.  
"Aahhh crap." Hood said too himself and lowered his head.  
"Yeah you. Get up!" The other Loco said and they both walked over to Hood.  
The big guy with the green t-shirt took notice of the shoutin, and paused armwrestling his new victim.  
"Maria, get ready." Hood whispered to her. Though Hood was surprised to see she wasn't affraid.  
Hood turned around on his bar chair and held his head down towards the locos. They stood before him.  
"Something wrong with you? Somethin' with ya face?" The loco laughed. He then saw the shades in Hoods front pocket.  
Hood looked up at the Locos. "You talking to me?" Hood asked.  
"hey, hey, you're that Hood guy." the Loco said. "The guy Zoot wants."   
"Very observant of you boys." Hood said as he stood up in front of them. Maria turned on her bar chair to look at the Locos. Suddenly their faces turned white as they saw her face.  
"My Lady Chaos." Hood looked surprised at Maria. "We never knew he was in your company." The other Loco said.  
"This man is with me." Maria or Chaos said. "Sorry Chaos, but Zoot's orders outrank yours." The Loco said.  
"Chaos?" Hood asked confused.  
They took a hold of his arms and tried to drag him off.   
Hood swung them off his arms on to a table, breaking it. "Stop that man." The Loco shouted to rest of the people in the bar. "Zoot will pay 100 credits to the guy that gets him!" The other shouted, pointing at Hood.  
"Come come, men. I must be worth more than that!" Hood was gonna enjoy this brawl.  
The barmaid decided to hide behind the bar.  
Two men made an attempt to knock Hood out, though he ducked just in time to avoid the punch.  
Hood kicked him in the stomach, which threw him to the ground.  
The big guy that was arm wrestling was getting bored with it and decided to join in the fight. He walked up to Hood and looked at him. "Can I join?" He asked. "Yeah sure, why not?" Hood said and finished clobering a demon dog.  
Several Locos entered the bar, wanting to find out what the riot was about. The big guy saw this, and threw his body against them, forcing them back out of the bar.  
Maria had joined in as well and threw a loco through the window, which could be expected in any barfight.  
The big guy got back up and grabbed a bottle of wine from the bar. He smashed over the head of the bouncer that had just run in, and knocked him out.  
Swift looked up from his bowl at brawl going on. He saw a guy about to hit Hood from behind with a wooden chair. Swift quickly stood up and bit the guy in the ankle and dragged him away.  
"Maria, I think it's time for a hasty retreat." Hood said grabbing her by the arm. "Big guy!" Hood shouted to the one other person that was on their side.  
"There's a back door, behind the bar!" The Big guy shouted. Hood and Maria jumped over the bar and opened a door. They were shortly followed by the big guy and Swift.  
The four of them arrived in a storage room. They looked around for a door.  
"Quick, this way." The big guy shouted and opened a door as he chucked some boxes out of the way.  
They ran through the door just before the Locos entered the storage room.   
"Dam it!" One of them said looking around the room, yet not finding anything.

"Wow man! That was fun!" The big guy said as he stood outside in an alley. It was pitch black now.  
"Chaos? You're the Lady Chaos?" Hood said looking pissed off at Maria, or what ever her name was.  
"That was a long time ago. I'm not the same person anymore." Maria tried to explain.  
"So you're not Chaos, and I know you're no Maria. So what is your real name?" Hood looked deep in her eyes.  
"My name's Jenny. I was going on vacation, till I met you."  
"So you're telling me that you don't work for Zoot or Ebony?"   
"NO! I'm just laying low, unlike you. I was just fine untill I met you."  
The big guy came in between the two fighting teenagers. Swift moaned at watching them fight.  
"Kids, kids, maybe you can give yourself break, while I introduce myself." He said, stopping them from nearly attacking each other.  
"Okay, okay. This is Jenny... I think. And I'm the Hood."   
"Well, I'm.... wait, did you just say Hood? As in The Hood!" The big guy was really surprised now.  
"Yeah, something wrong about that?" Hood asked.  
"Dam it man, you're the guy that took care of the Chosen on Hope Island."   
"What is your name anyway?" Hood wondered. The guy was well taller than Hood.  
"The names John, little John." John held out his hand to him. "Why am I not surprised?" Hood said to himself as he shook hands with him.  
"No wonder Zoots after you!" Jenny continued the fight.  
"At least I wasn't his lapdog." Hood retaliated.  
John cam in between them again and leaned on their shoulders.  
"Maybe we should continue this some other place, coz we got company coming." He said and pointed to the militia of Locos running down the alleyway towards them.  
The four of them started to run out of the alley and made a hasty escape in to the shadows of the city.

Chapter 38  
Forgotten home

Hood, Jenny, Little John and Swift arrived at an old garage. It was completly disregarded by all the tribes as a uselless building. Though Little John, did not think so.  
He had restored it to a fully operational garage.   
The four travellers walked in via a side door. They entered a large maintenance area.   
Several cars were either above pits, or on lifts. There were welding torches on the walls, together with wrench, screwdrivers and other equipment. Although Little John looked like the decent type, there were severall interesting posters and calenders on the walls.   
"Ain't nothin' to look at, but it's home." John said raising his arms.  
"Pretty good." Hood said, looking around followed by Swift.  
"Surprised anyone thought of using this place." Jenny noted, surprised this was still exicted.  
"Ahh. That's because this was my dads place. After the virus, I continued the work." Little John said walking to an office at the back.   
Hood took notice of a black Harley Davidson, surprised to see it intact in the city. It was completly polished, and he'd noticed that the number plate had been taken off.  
"Quite a beaut, isn't she?" A voice said behind Hood. He turned around.  
It was a girl, in a blue overall, a bit greasy. She had short red hair, and black eyes. Her face had grease and oil patches on it.  
"Yeah, she looks formiliar." Hood looked at the Harley.  
"Some guy, traded it about a year or so ago, for some..." "For some food and a metal polish." Hood continued her sentence. "Yeah. How did you know?" The girl asked very curious now.  
"I'm the guy that traded it." Hood said, taking his cowboy hat off. "My names the Hood." He introduced himself. "Burn, Acid Burn." The girl said and gave her hand.  
"A hackers fan, as well." Hood shook her hand.   
"See you've met the witch of the garage." Little John said, leaning on a car top. He smilled at Burn, who threw a dirty rag at him, and laughed.  
"Family?" Hood asked John. "Not exactely. More like marriage." John said smilling. Acid walked to him and gave John a kiss.  
Jenny joined Hood and John. "Reminds me of a couple I knew." Hood said to Jenny.  
"Let's get somethin to eat, huh?" John said, and walked with the others to the back of the garage.  
Inside were several others. John introduced them to Hood, Jenny and swift.  
"Guys, this is the Hood and this is Jenny." Little John said.  
There were four of them. One of them was guy, about 14, and had black spikey hair, and wore an overall, not as dirty as Burns. The boy next to him was a bit shorter, and looked like he was ten or twelve, and had blond short hair, and wore a blue jeans jacket with nuts and bolts attached to it.  
Next to the small boy stood a girl, about 17, with long, dark hair with streaks of blue in it. She wore a tight green-t-shirt, which showed every...angle of her body. She also wore black jeans with several patches on them. Last in line was another guy, he had an eyepatch, though he didn't look at Hood. He had a black t-shirt and baggy army trousers.  
"This is Jason, that's Lightning, she's called Sam, and this is Chain." John introduced them.  
Hood looked surprised at Chain. He hadn't seen him for a year or so. Chain was Hoods right hand man when they were still leaders of the Raiders. It had been so long since he had seen him.  
Though the thing was, Chain was killed by the Chosen in a fight long ago. Chain was stabbed in the stomach, and Hood saw him burn at his funeral. So how could it be possible that he's alive?  
"Chain?" Hood asked, tiliting his head slightly. Chain looked at him with his one eye.  
"How ya been Hood?" Chain said, his voice was heavier now. He stood up.  
They gave each other and embraced each other. Manly, of course.  
"Umm.. do you two know each other?" Little John asked looking surprised.  
"Chain here, was my right hand man, when we were with the Raiders." Hood said.  
"We used to go pillage from tribes." Chain said.  
"Yeah, well, I think we can leave the get togethers till in the morning. I wanna get some sleep tonite." Burn said and walked out of the office. She dragged John with her. "Actually she doesn't want to get ome sleep, she just wants to get some." He laughed as he was hauled away.  
"I'll show ya to where ya can sleep." Lightning said and walked Jenny and Hood to a stair way.  
Swift decided he could sleep at the bottom of the stairs, on a pile of rags.  
At the top of the stairway was a hall with about six rooms. Jenny got the room at the end of the hall on the right. Hood got the room across from her.  
"Night Jen." Hood said before closing his door.  
"Night Hood." Jenny said and went in to her own room.

Chapter 39  
Time for a re-visit

"Zoot. I bring news from sector 13." A loco ran up to his leader at the hotel. "Well, what is it?" Zoot demanded from his soldier. "The man you were looking for has returned. And the Lady Chaos has joined him." Zoot told the Loco he could leave.  
Zoot sat in Ebony's old room, after making a couple of changes to it.  
The oh so peppy art work had been taken away, and the walls had been grafitied on, with signs of Zoot and others. Zoot had taken Ebonys room because Ebony had done such a piss poor job of conquering the city.  
Ebony had been serverly punished by Zoot, in ways no one in tribeworld could imagine.  
"Winter, that was the last thing I expected from you." Zoot sat down in an armchair and picked a grape from a bowl next to him. "And with Hood. This is gonna be fun." Zoot threw the grape in the air and caught it in his mouth. After chewing he laughed. "Fun indeed." 

Hood, Swift and Chain walked around the garage, Chain giving Hood the tour.   
"Lately we just pick cars up for spare parts and fix 'em up." Chain pointed a large school bus.   
"We building that into a kinda tankbus."   
Hood looked at his old Harley.  
"Ya know, me and Burn have been tuning the engine up. It's kinda stealthy now." Chain walked over to the motorbike.   
Burn suddenly appeared from behind the Harley. "I thought I'd put ya old numberplate back on it." She held up the number plate and it was shining black on silver.  
"Thanks, Burn." Hood said as Burn as she screwed the plate on the back.  
"Hood, can I talk to you?" Chain walked Hood away from Acid Burn.  
"I don't know if you do, but Zoot is back."   
"Yeah, Jenny told me." Hood nodded to Jenny who was in the office, talking to some of the guys.  
"Well, the virus got me to and brought me back to life. Though Zoot is as nasty as ever. He punished Ebony from what I hear. He's leaning hard on the Mall Rats, and the Locos are growing day by day."  
Chain basically painted the worst case scenery for Hood.  
"Well, at least they aint Chosen." Hood laughed it off.  
"Yeah, though they were smarter than Locos." Chain agreed.  
They stopped walking now. "Umm, have you heard anything about our cat girl?" Hood looked sincere now at Chain. He merely shook his head as in saying no.   
No one had heard of Karen the Cat girl since she had left Hood, which was the hardest punch he had ever gotten. Hood had proposed to her, and at first she thought it was great, but then just before the Raiders went after the Chosen, she broke it off, without giving Hood a reason.  
"So where have you been the last year?" Chain asked as they walked past a old cadilac on a lift, which Jason was working on.  
"Mate, I've been across the mountains, through the forests, over the deserts and in to the wastelands."  
Chain looked surprised at Hood. "New Zealand has wastelands?"   
"Yeah! I was surprised myself."   
"I got a bit work to do on a buggy. I'll see ya later." Chain said and left Hood.  
Hood and Swift walked to the roof and looked over the suburb area of the city.  
He knelt down next to Swift, and stroked his head.  
"Not what I imagined coming back to. But it'll do." Hood looked at the Horton Bailey Hotel, which was strangely active, although it was midday.  
"Zoot'll know we're here, should we go by and say hello?"   
Swift looked at Hood and barked.  
"I'll take that as a yes." Hood smiled and walked back downstairs to the rest of the tribe.

Lightning walked over to Sam who was working on the school bus.  
"Ya noticed Jason lately?" He asked her.  
"Well. I know he's been noticing me. No, but why ya ask?" Sam suddenly stepped back as some oil squirted out of the engine.  
"I don't know, he's been acting kinda strange. Especially since Hood and Jenny got here." Lightning looked at Jason working on the Cadilac. He kept looking around him as if someone was spying on him.  
"Probably be nerves." Sam took no notice of it and went back to work.  
"I don't think so." Lightning walked away.  
Hood nearly knocked Lightning down. The kid staggered a bit but regained balance.  
"You okay kid?" Hood asked.  
"Yeah sure." He replied.  
"Hey, why do they call you Lightning anyway?"   
"You ever seen me in a dune buggy?" The kid laughed. Hood understood, and he walked away.  
Hood was joined by Chain when he got to his Harley Davidson.   
"Wanna go meet a friend?" Hood asked, sitting on the motorbike. Chain looked confused but agreed. He ran to another motorcycle, a slinky Honda and started it.  
Hood and Chain drove out of the garage, on to the street.  
When they past a post office, Hood stopped and went inside. A few minutes later he came out again with a steel crossbow and wooden arrows.  
"Whats that for?" Chain asked confused looking at the weapons.  
"For fun." Hood said and put the bow around him, while putting the arrows in the same harnas as his sword.  
They drove further on, to meet their...'friend'

Chapter 40  
Friend and foe alike

Zoot walked around the poolside together with Ebony. She didn't show any emotion, she just was.  
The memories still haunted her. Being trapped in the closet again, nowhere to go, just there, for days, without food. She had been clausterfobic since she could remember.  
"So Ebony, I here you had joined the rats. How were they then?" Zoot asked, watching several Locos do their training on the terras.  
"They'd been fighting, but they've grouped together for 'the better cause'. Several weddings, and a couple of dead leaders." Ebony said still not showing any sign of humanity.  
"Excuse me?" Zoot looked at her suddenly.  
"I'll explain," they started walking further around the pool "Since you 'died', they found the antidote to the virus, though Amber and Zandra died. After that, they've been building up controlle of the city. Hood helped them in rescueing Trudy from the Chosen." Zoot looked confused at Ebony.  
"Chosen?" He asked.  
"They were a tribe that worshipped you and all. Since Brady is your kid and Trudy was your girl, they worshipped them as well as you." Ebony explained again. Silently she grumbled too herself. "Don't understand why though." Luckily for her Zoot didn't hear that. If he did she be back in the iron closet.  
Zoot leaned upon the wooden wall of the changing rooms. "So what ya think Hood is up to?" Ebony asked leaning next to him on the wall.  
"If I know him, he's probably back at his fort, feelin' pityfull for himself." Zoot smirked.  
Suddenly out of no where a wooden arrow was shot right in between Zoot and Ebony's heads in to the wooden wall. The two tribeleaders jumped from their spots.  
"Holy sh*t!" Zoot shouted. They looked at the top of the Hotel where the sun was just above, blindning their sight. All they could see were two black figures, one holding a bow and arrow and wore a cowboy hat.  
"Hood!" Zoot said nearly being blinded by the light of the sun.  
Hood shouted down in to the recreation area. "Two words Zoot! SCREW YOU!" Chain and Hood laughed and did a High five before dissapearing from the roof.  
"Militia! I want the hotel completly blocked up. And I want it five minutes ago!" Ebony shouted to every Loco in hearing range.  
Zoot looked at the arrow, on which was a attached a piece of paper. He took it off the arrow and unrolled it.  
He read it to Ebony. "Violets are blue, roses are red. The next arrow, will be aimed for your head!" Zoot laughed too himself.   
"Ebony, I believe he's back!" He smiled, but Ebony just looked confused. She didn't understand why Zoot was so happy, to have one of his worst enemies back.

Hood and Chain drove full speed on their motorbikes through the city. Chain laughed too himself. "Did ya see is face? I would give all the money in the world to see it again."  
Hood was laughing as well. "Ebony jumped so high, she nearly fell in the pool." He said.  
They drove in front of the bar, where Hood and Jenny had their 'Welcoming' from the locos.  
"Let's get a drink huh?" Chain said as he slowed down his Honda. Hood nodded in response.  
They parker their motorbikes in an alley not far away and started walking to the bar. On the way in Chain saw the Bouncer at the front had a black eye. Hood saw that the window which Jenny had broken by throwing a loco through it had been boarded up. He also tried to keep his face hidden from the bouncer.  
They sat down at the bar and ordered a couple of Margarita's. The barmaid looking a bit pissed of at Hood.  
Hood and Chain started talking about the old days, just after the virus.  
Chain took a sip of his drink. "You never really told me." Chain said suddenly reminded of something.  
"Told you what?" Hood asked, looking at him.  
"Why got so much against Zoot." Chain took a sip from his drink.  
"Ya really want to know?" Hood was trying to avoid the subject. Chain nodded, trying to find out.  
"Well it began just after the virus." Hood told them what happend.

Chapter 41  
A story of the past

"Now this is quality food." Hood picked up a bar of chocolate. He was doing a bit of 'shopping' in the now deserted supermarket. He had just seen the last adults leave the city, and thought this would be good way to start a new life. He never did feel much for the adults, and seeing them die, wasn't much of surprise. They would have killed themselves sooner or later, at least they left the teenagers and children out of this fight.  
He walked to the cash register, and saw money was thrown all over the place. He then walked out of the shop and stood in the middle of the parking place.  
"When that old cow poke wen't ridin' out that dark and windy day..." Hood started to sing too himself as he walked down the street, he then turned to his right, noticing something he wanted for years. He walked over to an outdoor sports shop. In the broken window was a black cowboy hat. Next to that a some shades.  
"Humm." He picked up the hat and shades and put them on.  
"Dam I'm hot." Hood walked back on to the street and continued singing.   
Out of the blue, sirens suddenly flashed over the street. At the end of the street was a police car, cover in grafiti. On the number plate was writen ZOOT. A boy and a girl stood on the roof of the car, making it look like a chariot. Around the car were several teenagers on inliners, wearing old bikersuits and helmets, doing stunts.  
Hood looked at the car heading straight for him. He didn't bother to move, as he didn't fear them. Although the guy standing on the car shouted "Get him!". The car increased speed and the teenagers around it let go as they speeded towards Hood. He just stood there, eating the chocolate bar, not fearing the teenagers.  
They surrounded him standing about a meter from him. The car slowed down and the teenagers made a gap in the circle to let it in. The police car stopped just before Hood, it's bumbers nearly touching his knees.  
The guy and girl on the car jumped of it and walked towards Hood.  
"And you are?" Hood asked, sarcasticly.  
"We are the Locusts. This is our city." The guy said, raising his arms.  
"No, not all of ya. Just you. You know, yourself." Hood crunched on the chocolate bar.  
"He is Zoot, leader of the Locusts." The girl said. She had long braids of dark blond hair. The guy known as Zoot put his hand in front of her, in a way telling her not to speak.  
"Nice to meet ya Zoot, I'm the Hood." He ran his finger down his new hat.  
"Boys, take him in." Zoot said and walked back to the car. The locusts grabbed Hood and started beating on him. "You bast*rd." Hood was just able to get out before being knocked out by an iron bar.

Hood awoke with a splitting head ache. He wanted to puts his hand on a bruise on his neck, only to find it was tied. He looked around the place. Hood was sitting with his feet and hands tied up, in a large storage cupboard. He still was wearing his hat and shades.   
"Hey, is there any roomservice in this dump?" Hood shouted.  
The doors opened to reveal a Loco. "Ahh, finally. So what's on the menu today?" Hood said positivetly before dragged out of the cupboard.  
Two locos dragged hood over the cement floor of an old abonded warehouse. They picked him up and untied his hands and feet. He noticed that his sword was taken away from him. He stood before three people. Behind him were the locos in two long rows.  
The middle person was Zoot, to his right was the girl with the long braids, and to his left was a girl, but she wore nothing but black.  
"Ya know, you should do something about the roomservice. I had to wait hours for a response." Hood smirked. Zoot smiled. The girl with braids smiled as well, though for some reason the girl in black looked a bit sympathetic.  
"I have decided to give you a choice." Zoot said, and grabbed Hoods sword from behind him. He looked at it respectivly. "Early 15th century, Europe. In fact I would say made in England." He said.  
"You know your swords." Hood nodded, showing some respect. Zoot walked passed Hood and through the corridor of Locos and turned at the end. He lay the sword on the ground, with the handle in Hoods direction.  
"So what are my options?" Hood asked, rubbing his wrists from the tight rope, that was around them.  
"It's all up to you. If you make it to the end of the corridor, we let you go. That's if you make it to the end."  
Zoot laughed and walked back through the corridor. He stood in between the two girls again.  
"Well, go get your sword." Zoot laughed.  
Hood shrugged and turned to the Corridor made out of Locos. He walked passed the first two Locusts.  
He suddenly got hit in the back, by a baseball club, from one of the locos. Hood nearly fell but was able to keep his balance.   
"By the way. Did I say that it's called the tunnel of pain? Not very original, but it describes it to the letter." Zoot added smilling.  
Hood took another couple of steps, and was hit in the stomach. He queenched but kept going. This continued very several minutes. Hood being hit, punch, attacked in nearly every way possible, untill he was on his knees, three meters from his sword, blood dripping from his nose and bruises and scratches everywhere. His raincoat was ript, his shades had lost one lense and his cowboy hat was hit of his head.  
"Aude.... Audenda." Hood was able to get out, just before a Loco hit him in the back.  
He fell to the ground, still concious, with his eyes open, but his entire body was aching. Scars everywhere.  
"Ebony, my Lady Chaos. I do believe he has had it." Zoot said and turned around and started walking away.  
"What do we do with the body?" Ebony asked also turning. "Send a couple of the men later to pick him up."  
Zoot replied. Ebony nodded, and walked with him. The locos scattered away.  
Hood still lying on the floor, he remembered the the teachings of his chinese sencee. He remembered the strength from within, the first thing he was tought. Tai-San may have had trouble learning that but Hood didn't, he wanted to learn the way of the warrior. But his teachers learnings were cut short as he died mrely months before the virus outbreak.  
"Zoot!" A loco shouted to him as he was walking away. "Spike, what is it?" Zoot snapped at him.  
"Look." Spike said pointing at Hood.   
Hood was moving. Slowly but he was able to move. He reached for his sword.  
Zoot, Ebony and The Lady Chaos, looking in astonishment.  
Hood took his sword by the handle, and slowly stood up. He had his back towards Zoot, who was surprised to see him even breathing. No one could have possibly survived that, no one ever has.  
He turned around and faced Zoot.   
"I gues I can leave huh?" Hood said, his face bruised and battered.  
"And right you are. Escort him out Spike, and let the boys say good bye too him." Zoot said and carried on walking, as the Locos started beatin' Hood up again. They made sure not to kill him, just hurt him enough.

After the Locos had their frenzy on Hood they dumped him in sector 1, a sector right at the edge of the city, near a large fort. He had been thrown in a pile of trash at the back of an abonded videostore.  
"Next time, know when to give up." Spike said, giving Hood a kick in the stumach and then leaving.  
Hood lay there for several hours and then started to regain his strength. His shoulder was killing him, he felt it had popped from his socket. Hood looked at the wall and shrugged, with pain. He then threw himself sideways on to the wall, trying to pop his shoulder back in, and it worked.  
After that day, Hood swore that he would make sure Zoot would never harm anyone again. He would never forget the pain he was caused, the scars which were mad.  
He would always remember.

Chapter 42  
A Tribe Re-born

"And I still remember. I can still feel the baseball bats that hit my back, the twist in my arms and the kicks in my stomach." Hood finished his margarita. By the time Hood had finished his story, the entire bar had surrounded him to listen to his tale. They had been amazed to find out what drove the man to such lengths.  
"Wow man, that's like, profound." A fellow bar drinker said. The barmaid had also joined in listening to the story.   
"Zoot has gone too far. I knew he was bad, but not like this." She said just finishing cleaning a glass.  
"Hood, that was unbelievable." Chain said, gobsmacked, and he hardly touched his drink. The entire bar now knew how low Zoot was.  
"Zoot can't get away with this." A teenager said, shaking his head.  
"He isn't going to." Another teenager said. He had bright yellow hair, with a light streak of blue through it.   
"What do you mean?" Chain asked looking at him..  
Hood suddenly saw who it was.  
"Zero-Cool!" Hood said and stood up.  
"You gotta love me." He replied and shook Hoods hand.  
"Who's this guy?" Chain asked pointing at him.  
"This here is Zero-Cool, an old friend of mine from before the virus." Hood introduced him.  
Chain stood up and shook Zeros hand. "Any friend of Hood is a friend of mine." He said, smilling.  
"So what's this idea of yours?" Chain asked sitting back on the bar stoel.  
Zero sat down next to Hood.  
"The underground." Hood answered. The people at the bar were still standing around Hood, Zero and Chain.  
"What's that?" A teenager asked, probably an outcast.  
"It's an ancient rebellion army, hidden from the outside. It has been abonded since before the virus." A girl said, standing in the doorway. Chain and Hood recognized her immediatly. It was Tai-San, the mystical girl from the Mall-Rats.  
"Looks like a reunion to me." Chain said laughing and took a sip from his drink.  
"So you guys are telling me, you want to start the old army force, and over throw Zoot?" The barmaid asked, cleaning another glass.  
"How did you know?" Tai-San said joining Hood, Zero and Chain.  
"I'm a barmaid, I hear a lotta stuff." She explained grinning.  
Suddenly there was some noises coming out of Hoods coat. he took out of his jacket a walkie-talkie.  
"What can I do ya for John?" Hood spoke in to it.  
"Been listening to your conversation that's what, and I say my tribe is in for some fun." John spoke over the walkie-talkie.  
"Nice to hear that, Hood out." Hood put it back in to his pocket.  
"I say we do it!" A teenager shouted through the bar.  
Hood stood up on the bar, enrolled in the moment.  
"Who here has had enough of the Locos?" Hood shouted. The entire bar shouted yeah.  
"Who's had enough of Zoot thinking he's all mighty?" Chain shouted along side Hood.  
The bar responded again.  
Tai-San walked to Hood. "I'd say you got yourself a tribe again." She said, smilling.  
"Wait, we need a name. We need a name for our tibe now." A teenager suddenly alerted the others, if they were to be a true tribe, or even a rebelion force.  
"What about the drunk?" A rather drunk teenager said at the end of the bar.  
In chorus the entire bar shouted NO.  
"The Raiders. That should remind the Locos of a thing or two." Chain suggested. Hood stepped down from the bar.  
"No, something better. The Shadow Raiders." Hood said.  
"Now that is profound." A teenager said.  
It was Zero-Cools turn to jump on the bar. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you all, to Zoots newest threat. THE SHADOW RAIDERS!!!!!!" The entire bar shouted and cheared.  
The barmaid had decided that this was a celebration and if she was to avoid something happening like yesterday, she'd better hide the good stuff.  
"Hey, what are you lots names anyway?" Chain asked the crowd of teenagers.  
They called their names out in a row.  
"Tessa." "Trax" "Scarlet" "Luna" "Tank" "Rico" "Rita"  
"Now that we know each other, let's get to our new base of operations." Hood said, starting to walk out of the bar.  
"Where's that?" Zero-Cool asked walking with him.  
"One sec." Hood grabbed his walkietalkie. "John, do you know where the old Forti is?"   
"Yep, sector 1, right?" "Yeah, get ready to move as much there as you can, including the bus. I need ya to pick up a couple of people here at the bar." "Got that. See ya there, john out." Hood put the walkie talke back in his coat as he got on his Harley.  
"So where's our base?" Tank asked as they were all outside.  
Hood and Chain got on there Harleys. "Go to sector one, and follow dead end road." Chain said and started his engine.  
"But that's a dead end." Luna said confused.  
"Never was, never will be." Hood said and started his engine. They drove away from the bar on to the street and through the city, to their new home.

Chapter 43  
New toys

Within the next few days the new raiders had completly rebuildt the fort. It was even better than it was before. Although when they arrived there on the first day, it was completly covered in ivy and several chickens had nestled in the garden.  
The fort was truelly alive at this point. In the compound there was a large vegetable garden, with only seedlings at this point. There were a couple of chickens in their run on one side of the compound.  
The fuel tank at the back of the place was half full but still had enough gas for Hood and Chains motorbikes.  
Hood and Chain had there old rooms back after clearing them out. Hoods was surprised to see that all the guns and ammo was still locked safely in his locker. Nothing had changed from the day he left the fort and started travelling through the country.   
Nearly all the rooms were occupied now. Every one had to share a room with someone else, except for Hood and Chain. The fort had three floors. the ground floor was for workshops and garages, the second floor was meant for soldiers, but now they were Shadow Raiders, for to sleep and indoor activity. And the third floor were where Hood, Chain, Little John and Zero Cool sleept, since they were Commanders, appointed by the rest of the tribe.  
Jenny shared her room with Sam, Acid Burn with Tai-San, Luna with Rita, Jason with Lightning, Trax and Tank, Scarlet and Rico, and Tessa on her own, though frequently visited by Rico.  
Gizmos old workshop was completly 'upgraded' by Lightning and Scarlet, who shared an interest in mechanices and technology.   
The windmill on the roof was repaired and was working even better. In fact they were working on a second one.  
"So when do we look for the old rebellion?" Zero-Cool asked Hood as they were eating in the canteen  
"Later today. I found some blueprints of the fort." Hood unrolled some blue papers on the table showing the ventilation and electronics grid.   
"See, these lines show the electricity lines. This one leads to a bit that isn't on the map." Hood explained.  
"Meaning another room." Zero-Cool suggested.  
"Not just another room. The lines are so big so it's entire fort, underground." Hood continued.  
"You got me curious now. Forget lunch." Zero smiled and stood up. Hood did the same.  
"Get Chain, Jenny, Lightning and John and tell them to meet me in garage 4." Hood said and rolled up the blueprints. They ran out of the canteen. Zero-Cool went to the rec-room, the place to relax and play.

Hood opened the doors to the garage, this one was empty except for a couple of boxes at the back.  
He pushed the boxes to the side, to see there was a large wooden board blocking something. Hood grabbed a crowbar from one of the boxes. He ripped the board of the reveal and door. It was one of those air sealed doors with a wheel in the middle. It had got dusty and was slightly rusted.  
"Bingo." Hood said too himself.  
The others appeared behind him in the door. "Dam it man, you're fast." Zero said smilling.   
"Gimme a hand with this would ya?" Hood asked as he tried to turn the wheel. Zero and Chain joined him in opening it. Finally it started to turn. Hood turned it till it stopped.  
"Ready guys?" Hood asked them. They nodded.  
Hood pulled the door open. A cloud of dust and smoke appeared from the door, they stepped back from surprise.  
"God, what is that smell?" Jenny said waving her hand in front of her nose, trying to ingore the smell of stail air.  
"It's been locked for five years." Zero-Cool explained, putting his t-shirt over his nose.  
"Chain, gimme a torch." Hood asked. Chain threw him the heavy torch.  
"If I'm not back in 2 minutes.... just wait longer." Hood laughed, although not getting much reaction from the others. He clicked the torch on and shined it into the room. He then stepped through the door in to the dark room. Hood shined the light around the place.  
It wasn't big, the walls were made out of cement, the floor as well. There was a switch next to the door, which Hood pushed. An old light went on above him. At the other side of the room was another door, this one looked like a normal one. Next to it was a touch pad, meant to enter codes. Hood looked at the wall.  
There were several symbols that he recognised.  
"Jenny." Hood shouted . Jenny came in to the room, followed by Lightning, John and Chain.  
"What is it?" Lightning asked, looking at the wall.  
"Either Greek or Latin. You're the expert Jenny." Hood said.  
Jenny ran her fingers over the symbols, they weren't big, but it was as if the symbols were carved in to the wall.  
"Holly Zoot!" John shouted looking at behind him in the corner.  
"Hey, you know better than to swear in front of Lightning." Chain said angry.  
"Yeah well, I've got good reason." He pointed at the dusty skeleton in the corner. The jaw was lowered, and there were still clothes on it.   
"Must have gotten trapped, when this was sealed." Hood cooly explained and went back to de crypting the symbols.  
"It's greek alright, but it's difficult to translate. And I never said I was an expert." Jenny quickly said.  
"Let me guess, random letters?" Lightning asked.  
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Jenny said surprised turning to him.  
"Simple, it's the code." Lightning explained and walked to the touchpad.  
"A-U-D-E-A-U.." Jenny was cut off by Hood. "D-E-N-D-A. Aude Audenda" He said looking at Jenny.  
"How did you know?" Jenny asked very surprised. "It's nearly every rebelions latin moto." Hood explained.  
"Strange to see Latin in Greek." Jenny said confused.  
Suddenly the door slide open to reveal a dark chamber. Some light from the room shined on a metal rooster which was probably a platform.  
"I still think open sesame would have been better." John laughed.  
Hood was the first to go in. He shined the torched around. He turned to his right where a wall was with a lever. He walked to it a pulled the lever.   
Suddenly lights started to flicker, and light the large chamber. Hood was right, it was nearly the same size as the fort. It was truelly amazing, Hood was surprised to see it all here.  
It was like the compound but underground. He stood on a metal rooster platform, to the left was a metal stairwell going down in to the work area, and in front of Hood was a metal bridge that went all the way across and ended at a door.  
In the work area were 3 army cars, 1 army bus and an immense object covered by a brown sheet covered with dust. As well were work cupboards, work tools, air compressors, heavy power drills, pit areas, it had the lot!   
Jenny and Lightning were the first to follow Hood on to the bridge, then John, Zero and Chain joined them.  
"Oh my God." Jenny said, completly gobsmacked at the immense area.  
"Is this the greatest or what?" Lightning shouted, please to see all the heavy tools he could play with.  
"So this is the place huh?" Chain said looking impressed by the shear size of the place.  
"I could immagen some serious partying down here." John said smilling and thinking of the possibilities.  
"The actually made this place?" Jenny asked Hood.  
"In a way. It was a seperate branch of the government, called section 32. They made this place in case of a post-apocelyptic distaster to controlle the city, but they didn't think that the virus would kill adults, so this place has been untouched for about 3 years." Hood walked across the bridge to the office. He turned around to Zero. "Zero, could ya tell the rest that we found the place and that they should help cleaning the place if they can."  
Lightning and Jenny joined Hood in walking to the strat-room, as it was labelled on the door ahead of them.  
Chain and Little John went down stairs to check around the place.  
"Locked." Hood said, no where near surprised as he tried the door knob. He was about to kick the door in but Jenny quickly went to the door getting something out of her hair.  
"Men, "She started to say. "always with the brute force, never trying the simple way." She used a hairpin to work on the lock of the doorknob. She succeded and the door opened.  
"I was just... gonna.. try that." Hood said smilling at Jenny. They walked in to the room. Eventhough it was rather dusty, it looked like a generals dream.  
In the corner there were several computer terminals hooked up. At the front of the room was a large vertical glass map of the city with several stickers in a tray attached to it. Here and there were several desks or filing cabinets.  
"Guess the virus didn't spare the cleaners." Lightning said as he looked around.  
"Dezree, Laster, Stamford." Hood said too himself, as he looked at three photographs hanging next to the door.  
"What?" Jenny asked turning to him.  
"General Stamper, Colonel Laster and Major Dezree. Friends of a friend of mine. That and I met them at a careers convention at school. I stayed with General Dezree for a while when my mother was in hospital. She was one hell of a gal, youngest Major in the force and played poker like no other." Hood laughed as he remembered the late nights Dezree and him spent playing poker and wrestling. He never knew how old she was but if Hood was a bit older he would have gone out with her.   
"Holy Zoot!" Lightning said as he sat down at the computer terminal. Hood turned to him.  
"Lightning, Burn told you, you shouldn't swear like that." He walked over to the computer to see what was wrong.  
"Holy Zoot!" He said himself then as he saw the logo on the cpu casing.  
"I'll leave you to play with your toys." Jenny said and walked out of the room. Hood and Lightning looked gobsmacked at the computer system. The logo was a circle with a triangle pointing into it. It was a Z3, no even meant to be made when the virus struck, let alone 3 years before it. Hood and Lightning explored the computer, playing with whatever files they came across.

Chapter 44  
Peace for the moment

"Two years. Two years in tribeworld. And then thirteen years before that it was a p!sshole of a city." Trax complained as he worked on the second windmill. It had run a clitch as a rat had eaten through several wires only to discover the nasty after shock of the tast.  
"Yeah well it was bound to happen sooner or later." Scarlet said as he handed Trax a wrench. He was also reading a games magazine.  
"To be honest, sometimes I wish the virus got us aswell." Trax continued as he waved the wrench at Scarlet.  
"Why? I mean, there's an upside to a world of our own." Scarlet sat up from leaning against the mill.  
"Oh yeah. Gimme one good thing." Trax said and looked away from his work. Scarlet put the magazine away as Sam appeared on the roof, from a stairwell.  
"There's one." He said. Trax turned away and looked at Sam. She had gotten a deck chair from the shed on the roof and layed it out towards the midday sun. Sam then sat on it and rolled down the top of her overall to a reveal size 34 bikini. She then layed down on the deck chair.  
Scarlet stared at her with excitment. Trax noticed this.  
"Forget it man. You ain't gonna get nowhere near close to those coconuts." He said, trying to dissincourage Scarlet from what he was planning, though it gave the opposite effect.  
"Yeah well you watch the master in work." Scarlet said and left the mill to walked over to Sam.  
"Play with fire, ya gonna get burned." Trax said too himself and went back to working on the windmill.

"Goodday me lady. Lovely day ain't it." Scarlet used one of his best chat up lines on Sam.  
"Hiya Scarlet." Sam said cooly. "Ain't that supposed to be the guy with the daggers in Robin Hoods merry men?" Sam asked.  
"yeah, well I live up to my name." Scarlet said and showed her a small dagger which he had nicked while being searched sometime ago by the security at the Mall Market.  
"Tell me. Are you doing anything tonight? Coz I thought if you weren't busy we could maybe get some grub at the bar or something." Scarlet smiled as he kneeled down next to her.  
"Scarlet, don't even think of it." Sam coldly replied. Scarlet saw this and nodded. He then stood up and started walking back to Trax.   
"Well?' Trax asked climbing down from the mill.  
"Umm, I gues you could say that she umm... she said maybe." Scarlet put his hands on his waste.  
Trax started to laugh. "You got blown out of the water my friend." He then packed up his tools and started walking to the stairwell. "Blown out of the water." He said too himself as he passed Sam, who just grinned.

Rico and Tessa sat alone at a table in the canteen. "I always wanted to be part of a tribe you know." Tessa confesed to Rico. "Weren't you part of the Outcasts?" Rico asked.  
"They were never a real tribe. Only a bunch of losers bumming around." She explained. She held a cup of warm cocoa in her hands.  
"I was wondering if you free tonight." Rico asked looking at her. She was about to open her mouth when Rita appeared from behind the counter.  
"She's got watch duty with me tonight." Rita said pouring herself a glass of water.  
"Do you ever leave your job alone?" Rico asked, a bit angry.  
"No. It's my destiny." She explained and took a sip of water. Rita then left the canteen, leaving the two love birds alone.  
"As I was saying." Rico continued. Tessa pushed her chair back and stood up.  
"Shhh, I'll stop by tonight." She quickly gave Rico a kiss on the cheeck before leaving the canteen smilling.  
"Not much sleeping tonight then." Rico said too himself laughing. He put his feet on the table and leaned backwards. He relaxed for a bit before falling backwards on his chair.

All was quiet that night in the city. Not a creature was sturing, not even a Mall-Rat. Demon dogs had long ago retreated to the quiet north east of the city, though most of them had left the tribe to join the Locos.  
The loco hotel was reasonably well guarded at night. The sound of sleeping Locos at the front entrance really scares every teenager.  
Lex and Ryan were on guard at the Phoenix Mall. Ryan was sitting down leaning against the sewer wall, well asleep. Lex stood outside the main entrance to the mall. He wasn't really in a mood to go to sleep.  
He was thinking of what had been going on, trying to figure out what to do.  
That faithfull day changed everything. Zoot returned to the hotel, every Loco was either shocked or didn't believe it. Zoot changed everything. The loco militia doubled from before he died and Zoot had started talking with several tribe leaders, the Gulls, the Nomads, even the Jackals. He would trade land for goods from them. And whenever he got bored, Lips,Teeth and Dimples would perform for him, seeing as he was the most powerfull man in the city. That and he appreciated their singing.  
Lex looked up at the clear sky, seeing the stars twinkle. He was wondering why Tai-San left the Mall-Rats, because he couldn't accept the excuse she gave. "I wanted to rediscover myself." She had said. Bullsh!t, lex thought. It was probably because he had been coming on to strong on her.   
Zoot had also been leaning on the mallrats. He was being soft on them because Bray was his brother, and because of Brady and Trudy. He had only been disencouraging people from going to the market.  
Though Zoot would probably kill Lex if he ever got the chance. Wouldn't make much sense though. Because of the virus, Lex would just come back to life in six months.  
Lex walked back inside to the mall, doing a final round before catching some shut eye.

Chapter 45  
Vanished

Rita walked along the edge of the roof, looking at the forest behind the fort. Tessa had gone of to meet Rico somewhere between a matras and a blanket, so Rita had to do the guarding herself.  
Tank was down in the underground chamber, doing some cleaning up.   
Hood stood on the metal balcony looking down in to the compound. Surprisingly peacefull he thought. Being back at the fort brought back memories of Karen. It had been so long. The Chosen, the Wolves, Desert-Rats, Demon Dogs and now Locos. It was in a way like the old days. Hood and his tribe fighting the Locos. To be honest he missed them a bit.  
He noticed the light in Ricos room was on. "Bloody typical." Hood said too himself. He was about to walk back in to his room as a girl suddenly walked across the compound. She only just caught the corner of Hoods eye.   
Hood looked closer at her, though she hadn't noticed that he was watching her. It was Jenny. Or Winter, or something. Hood might not have liked her past, working with the locos, but he didn't like his past either. Jenny was having problems trying to open the gate. "Frigging gate." She quietly swore to herself.  
A hand suddenly appeared from behind her and opened the gate. Jenny turned around in shock to see who her mysterious assistant was. It was Hood.  
"Phew. You gave me a shock." Jenny gave a sigh of relief.  
"Where are you going?" Hood asked as she was about to leave.  
"The hotel. I have to talk to him." Jenny explained. Hood now look a bit angry.  
"I'm an assassin, I have less in the way of emotions than Zoot. He thrives on anger and hatred but he lets it cloud his judgement. I came close to loving him once but if i saw the need i could kill him, no questions asked. I've given my loyalty to you Hood and if you asked it i could kill him tonight. But you won't"  
"How can you be so sure?" Hood asked.  
"Because you intend to kill him yourself. And I'm not going to stop you. But I'd prefer it if I didn't have to help. Remember, I've seen his soul." Hood stared at her as she coolly lay her soul bare.  
"I doubt I'd kill him now. If the virus stays, he'll just come back to life." Hood said.  
"I don't want your loyalty actually. I just don't want you against me, if the rumours are true." Hood looked at her with a questionable look.  
"They're true. But you don't have to worry about me. You have to take care of your tribe." Jenny didn't really know what she was doing but she was planning to see Zoot.  
"And I'm not coming back." Hood suddenly looked at her.  
"I gues I shouldn't be surprised. Just tell me you're not gonna join the Locos."   
"No, but I will tell you this. Zoot wont be the same as before, he'll have changed and gained a new aspect on life. It's all about intimidation." Jenny turned to Hood.   
"Goodbye." She said and walked out of the fort.  
"Goodbye." Hood said and closed the gate, going back to his room.

"So where'd she go to?" Tai-San asked as she and Hood walked over the compound. It was about midday now and the Shadow Raiders had gone back to work, repairing the cars and the fort. Anyone who had any knowledge about mechanics was working down in the underground chamber. The rest were working in the gardens or just taking a break.  
"Somewhere. I don't know. She is definitley going for a while, as she has taken all her stuff with her." Hood kicked a can against the wall. They now walked in to the canteen.  
"Remember what master Chi-Lang told us, about life." Hood asked as he poured himself a cup of tea.  
"He taught us so much. What part do you mean?" Tai-San asked, nicking the cup of tea from Hood who just looked surprised.  
"Remember when he was on his death bed? He said, that the travels of a warrior are neverending, and so are the travels of a shaman." He paused for a moment, suddenly thinking of a love he had a long time ago.  
"Have you heard anything about Karen?"  
"I'm sorry, no one has heard from her. Like she vanished from the planet."  
Tai-San stood up and left her tea for what it was.  
"And by the way." She said quickly, popping her head around the door. "You still can't get that tea right." She laughed and walked away.  
Hood just looked confused and picked up Tai-Sans tea and took a sip. It tasted fine too him and put it back down.

"Are they working yet?" Chain stood beside Jason as he worked on two army turtle vehicles, down in the underground chamber.  
"Huuh? Ohh...erm yes. Yeah. But I only got this one working. The starter motor on the other is up in car heaven at the moment." Jason look agitated and extremely nervous. He wasn't really pleased to see Chain. He didn't like him since he joined Jason and the others at the garage.  
"That's alright. As long as you can find a replacement by next week." Chain said, picking the starter motor up from a tool tray.  
"W..Why next week?" Jason asked confused.  
"That's when we've decided to take Zoot on." Chain smiled and walked up to the strategy room upstairs.  
"Big mistake, Chain. Big mistake." Jason thought too himself, and smiled. He then went back to working on the turtle.  
What was to be noticed by anyone walking around the chamber, was still the massive object under the dirty sheet at the back. Everyone had been wondering what it was. Lightning said it was a mobile missile launcher, hidden to make sure no leaks the information. Little John thought it was just another generator. The only people, who knew what it was, were Chain, Hood and Jenny. But Jenny had left and that left Hood and Chain in charge, just like the old days, at the end of the virus attack.

Chapter 46  
Life as it was

Five days passed. In two days, the Shadow Raiders would attack the Locos, the dictators of the city. The Mall-Rats were still stuck in the Phoenix mall, not daring to go outside and face the the wrath of Brays brother. While Hood been out in the desert for several months, a lot of things had happend.  
Salene and Ryan had gotten married. Lex was on the verge of proposing to Tai-San, but then she left the mall, to re-discover herself. Danni and Bray were getting it on as always, though Ellie and Jack were having problems in their paradise. Trudy was frightened that Zoot might come back to her and take Brady away. Brady on the other hand was happy as could be and trying to figure out how the little bears and bunnies stayed in the air above her, not realising it was a mobile. The Mall-Rats had picked up two members, one called May, an outcast but now no more and a dog which Chloe and Patsy had named Cloudy. KC was their only source of info from the streets now, but he owed all of big nasty people several supplies and was a bit frightened to go outside.  
The market had been shut down completly now and the traders had packed their things up from the stalls. Strangely enough, the Locos were hardely out on the streets anymore. Most of them were at the Horton Bailey Hotel, though no one knew what was happening in there.

"Where's Danni?" Bray asked Ryan as he walked up the stairs.   
"She's in the cafe I think." Ryan said and walked down to the fountain to Salene.  
Bray sat down next to Danni who was drinking the last of the coffee.   
"Is there any left?" He asked her, pointing at her cup.  
"Sorry, nothing left in the cupboards." She said dissapointed.  
"Then I'd better start on my water bottles." Bray laughed but it turned into a frown again.  
"It's happening all again, isn't it?" Danni held Brays hand and looked in to his eyes.  
"Locos are truelly back. Everyone's fearing them. Half the city has joined them and the other half are hiding. Demon Dogs are back in the east licking their wounds and here we are, barely staying alive." Danni continued, she sqeeuzed Brays hand tightly, as if she was terrified.  
"If it wasn't for Dal's little patch on the roof, we'd never survive. But things will get better, I promise." Bray tried to smile again, but it failed. There was a pause between them.   
Out of nowhere Lex appeared in the cafe and sat down at the table next to Bray and Danni. He was crunching loudly on an apple. He put his feet up the table and turned his head to the two lovebirds.  
"KC has been doing a bit of sniffing around in the north of the city, and has found out something very interesting." He took a large chunk out of the apple. Bray and Danni turned to him.  
"Well what is it?" Bray asked. Lex took his time eating the chunk of apple, to annoy Bray.  
He finally finished the chunk and was about to take another bite, but Danni snatched what was left of the apple out of his hands.  
"What is it?" She demanded.  
"Well, since you asked so nicely." Lex was irritated by the snobby little politician.  
"Seems someone has returned to the fort, in sector one." Lex sat up straight.  
"Who is it?" Danni asked, really gettig annoyed with him now.  
"Hood." Lex nearly spat in her face as he said it.  
"That's the best news we've had in weeks." Bray said pleased, with Lex's answer.  
"It get's better. KC told me that he's buildt up a new tribe there. Called the Shadow Raiders."   
"Anything else?" Bray asked.  
"It seems he's got a lust back for taking Zoot on." Lex stood up and started to walk to his room, before Danni and Bray could make him lovesick about Tai-San by kissing each other.  
"I told ya things would get better." Bray smiled, holding Danni tight.  
"And you were right." Danni smiled back and passionatley kissed him. Bray and Danni walked holding eachother out of the cafe to their room.  
May and Trudy walked past them on their way to the cafe. Trudy was holding Brady in her arms.  
"Do those two always come as a set? Or do you have to buy them seperatley and stick them together with glue?" May laughed looking after them.  
"I know. They're always at it. Isn't that right, Brady?" She tickled the little baby in her arms. Brady replied with giggling.  
May sat down at a table. "Mind holding her a minute? I just need to get some baby food." Before May could say anything she was already holding the infant.  
Trudy walked to the cupboard in the kitchen. She opened it and was slightly shocked to see that there was hardly anything in there. All there was, were several waterbottles, a bar of chocolate, a couple of cans of beans and a small jar of baby food. The last of it apperantely. Trudy was also surprised to see Chloe and Patsy hadn't finished the chocolate bar. Trudy grabbed the baby food and a teaspoon.  
She walked backed to May and Brady. She sat down next to them and opened the jar. She then took Brady over from May.  
"It wasn't always Bray and Danni, you know." Trudy started as she fed Brady.  
"What ya mean?" May asked curious of who else Bray had captured with his looks.  
"Well, I tell you what happend. Bray and Me had been travelling for while. We came here and one of the tribeleaders here was a girl called Amber. She voted we stay, but was outruled by the majority. Just as we were leaving the mall, I had started having Brady here and they had no choice but to accept us. A while after that we've had our adventures and Bray and Amber grew closer. Though when we went to Eagle Mountain, Amber was killed.. in... the... Oh my GOD!" Trudy just realised something. No one had ever thought of it, and it probably would only just hit them.  
"What? What's wrong?" May asked, trying to snap Trudy out of her trance. Trudy reacted when Brady started to jiggle, trying to wake her mother.  
"Come. We've got to go to Bray now!" Trudy picked Brady up and walked with May to Bray's room.  
Trudy and May stopped when they heard very loud giggling coming from his room, and they decided this may be a bad time to tell them of Trudy's discovery.

Lex had given up on waiting around at the mall. There was no market, so he was out of a job. Ya have to have a market if you're market security. He had packed his stuff and said goodbye to his best friend Ryan. He was angry to see him go, but he also so Lex's point of view, seeing as Tai-San had left him as well.  
"Where to go first?" Lex thought too himself as he walked out of the front of the mall. He had an an army rugsack on his back with nearly everything he had, which was some clothes and a couple of bottles of cider. He started walked to the south. In the south were the beach and the docks. He thought maybe if he went to the industrial area of the docks, he might find some supplies in un opened containers.

"But Zoot!" Spike pleaded with his boss.   
"That's it! AXL, get him out of here!" Zoot orderd Spike's equal to drag him out of the hotel.  
Ebony had snitched to Zoot how Spike had chucked her out of the Locos when he'd died.  
Zoot might have liked Spike as a good soldier, but Ebony was his woman, and no one mess with her.  
"Sorry mate." AXL said just before he dragged Spike of with a couple of Locos.  
"You can't do this to me Zoot!" Spike shouted to him. "Mark my words, I'll get you! You're gonna be in deep s...." Spikes words couldn't be heard by Zoot, as he was dragged in to the hallway and the door slammed shut.  
"So you're okay?" Zoot turned to Ebony, who appeared from another room.  
"Yes, thank you Zoot. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." Ebony was wearing a beautiful red and black dress. The red were markings of the Loco logos. She had never worn a dress like this, but it suited her like a glove. It enhanched all of her......curves.....  
"I do know. It's been a while since I've seen you in that dress." Zoot recalled the night before that fatal visit to his brother and Zoots daughter. He was just getting ready to leave when Ebony had appeared and wore that dress which he just couldn't resist. That is the reason why he was later at the mall then he had planned to be.  
"Maybe we could lay of the plans for sector 8 till tomorrow morning?" Ebony said seductively and wondered down to Zoot. He just smiled and took off his hat and goggles.  
As the two of them walked close, Zoot snapped his fingers and the lights went off. A last installment Ebony had Jack put in when he was improving the security.

Hood sat with his legs crossed on the roof. It had been a long time since he had taken some meditation, especialy during the rising sun. He had his eyes closed and imagined complete darkness, one of his favourite places.   
Tai-San slowly walked over the roof to Hood, trying not to disturb him.  
"You still do meditation after all." She said, sitting down next to him, taking up the same position.  
"I try to when I can." Hood replied without moving. The sun was only just peaking above Eagle mountain, which could be seen from the fort.  
"You still planning for tomorrow?" Tai-San closed her eyes.  
"I don't know. There's not much of a point. If the virus stays, it won't matter how often I kill him, he'll just keep coming back to life." Hood opened his eyes. So did Tai-San.  
"Follow your heart, not your mind. That's the one thing master Chi just couldn't get through to you." Tai-San started to giggle.  
"Thanks, I think." Hood said sarcasticly.  
"I believe you know what to do." Tai-San said, in her own way apologising.  
"Yeah. Thanks." Hood said and stood up, moving to leave the roof. "Remember, we're only human, some scars last forever." Tai-San added just before Hood left.

Chapter 47  
Preperation

"Okay, that should be enough training for now. Take a break and be back here at three." Chain said.  
He was training the others in hand to hand combat in the compound. Some with succes like Trax, Tank and Little John, though Jason was finding it hard to concerntrate. It was something was bothering him.  
"Hey Chain." Tessa caught up with him as he was walking to his room. "Yeah?" He asked, turning to her.  
"I don't think I'm being nosey but, ever since I've met you, I wanted to know, how you got that eye patch." She flung her green and blond hair behind her shoulder.  
"You don't want to know." Chain tried to disencouraged her but without succes.  
"I do. I want to know. Please?" She got a strange tone in her voice, which Chain knew all to well from previous encounters with girls who wanted something.  
"You're sure you want to know?" Chain asked. Tessa nodded. They now stood in front of his room.  
"Well, I was killed on the beach, by one of the Chosen. When I was resurrected by the virus, I was a drift at sea, that's how Hood buried me. Though when I got back to land, I landed on Demon Dog territory. They weren't to pleased when I borowed some new clothes. I of them got a lucky shot at me.  
But if the virus was here I thought my eye would have healed."   
"Wow, I gues it hurts huh?" Tessa wanted to touch it, though Chain moved away. "Sorry."  
"Yeah, but I've gotten used to it now." Chain was about to walk away.  
"Just because you lost an eye, it doesn't mean you haven't got a beautiful eye." Tessa smiled, Chain replied with a smile as well, before dissapearing in to his room.

The sun stood brightly in the blue sky, a single figure walked out of a door at the back of the fort. Ivy had covered it. It was the part of the fort, that hadn't been cleaned up.  
The shadowy figure walked through the forest, the sun shining on him. A ray of sunlight shined on the character as he stood still to see where he was. It was Jason, slightly smilling, slightly nervous.  
He started jogging through the forest, taking a path avoiding the fort. He must have jogged for an hour or two as he had entered the sector controlled by the Locos. For some strange reason he was feeling less and less nervous.  
Jason walked on to a street. The same street leading to the Norton Bailey Hotel. Three Locos who were standing guard at the entrance ran up to him to see who it was. They relaxed as Jason neared them.  
"If it ain't Jason. What news do ya bring?" AXL joined Jason.  
"I need to see Zoot." Jason said seriously. He didn't look all to pleased.  
AXL nodded and walked with Jason and the two other Locos back to the hotel.

"Power and Chaos." Jason greeted Zoot as he entered room 30, Zoot's main room.  
"I thought I told you to stay there untill they discovered something." Zoot turned to Jason, annoyed with his presence. He had just put his cap and goggles on.  
"Yeah well, I think you'll like the news I got for you." Jason smiled as he walked to him.  
"Oh? What's that then?" Zoot asked, curious of what his infiltrator had discovered.  
"They have discovered an underground chamber, with a massive arsenal. And Hood." Zoot suddenly turned to Jason. "Hood has rebuilt his tribe. They're the Shadow Raiders now. Also, and here's the bad news, they're planning an attack against you tommorow night. I don't have much details, only that they'll begin when the moon is just above eagle Mountain." By this time Zoot had the biggest grin in the world on his face.  
"Good work, Jason. I'll put you up for promotion." Zoot smiled.   
"What ya want me to do?" Jason asked, leaning on a table.  
"Stay with them till they attack, do what you can to sabotage their main attack vehicle."   
Ebony appeared in the doorway. Zoot nodded Jason t o leave them.  
"What's going on?" Ebony asked as she walked to Zoot. She was feeling a bit nervous for some reason.  
"Just Hood, thinking he can beat me." Zoot started to walked to a window, followed by Ebony, though she hesitated.  
"Sure you want to go ahead with this? It's a bit..well...larged scaled. Isn't it?" Ebony stood beside Zoot at the window. Zoot opened the blinds. The window gave a fantastic view over the pool side and recreational area of the hotel. But instead of relaxing visitors, Locos were doing combat training.  
They were either running an obsticle course or were fighting each other.  
"Yeah well, no point in doing things small." Zoot said, smiling as he saw his army of teenagers train.  
That and I have an extra surprise for Hood."

Chapter 48  
The Eve of the war

Tai-San walked in to the Strat-Room, where Hood was trying to figure out a strategy to defeat Zoot's army. He stood in front of the glass map of the city, putting stickers here and there.  
Tai-San was followed by Swift, Hoods pet Wolf.  
"He's missed you, you know." Tai-San said, letting Swift walk to his boss. Hood turned around and kneeled down to him.  
"Ohh, Swift. I'm sorry." Hood patted Swift on the head. Although he was a bit mad at him for not paying for attention to him, Swift could never resist the back of his ear being scratched.  
"There's more to this isn't there?" Hood asked standing up. Looking at Tai-San he walked over to his desk and opened a drawer.  
"We seem to be missing a raider." Tai-San said standing in front of the desk. Hood took out a packet of gum and unwrapped one.  
"I know. Jason." Hood threw the gum in the air and caught it in his mouth.  
"How'd you know?" Tai-San asked, tilting her head slightly.  
"He's an infiltrator. He was a Chosen. He's at the Hotel, as we speak." Hood sat down in the large armchair and leaned backwards. Tai-San looked confused in her profound way.  
"Jason is telling Zoot that we're attacking tomorrow night when the moon is over Eagle Mountain." He chewed his gum as loudly as possible and put his feet on the table.  
"Hood, Master Chi might have had problems teaching you life, but he taught you stratergy better." Tai-San had an impression of what Hood was up to.  
"Thing is, the moon doesn't come anywhere near Eagle Mountain. Get the word out to every Raider and Mall-Rat. We attack at 10.42 PM tonight, sharp." Hood smiled as he leaned back.  
"I'm not going back to the mall, not back to... wait. 10.42? Why then?" She remembered that number, but not from what.  
"Exactely two years ago, on this night. That was the time that the virus was created. I used to be a hacker as well. And I knew about the virus before it even started." Hood wasn't feeling to pleased now, having to give away another piece of his past.  
"I only knew 20 minutes before it started. Not enough time to warn the world."  
"That's why you left. Right after Sencee died, you left. To do what you could." She realised now why Hood left their home to go to the city.   
"If you can't go to the mall I'll send Chain." Hood proposed. He sat up straight now.  
Tai-San nodded. Swift walked to Hood as he stood up.  
"It be'd best that way." She said before leaving the room.

Little John and Acid Burn walked over the compound. They were holding hands.   
"So what are you doing tonight?" John asked as they sat down on a a couple of steel barrels.  
"I got rounds tonight. On the roof." Burn said distappointed.  
"How about a midnight picknick then?" John suggested.  
"Okay." Burn was pleased now, and showed it by giving Little John a long and passionate kiss.  
Scarlet suddenly appeared out of no where. The two lovebirds didn't notice him till he started to talk.  
"God, don't you two ever come up for air?" He said sarcasticly.  
"Watch it or you'll be throwing daggers with your ass." John said smiling but still threatingly.  
"Tai-San gave me a message. But since you got your hands full with burn here." Scarlet suddenly felt a punch from Acid Burn.  
"Okay, okay. We're attacking, tonight. We have to be prepped and rady to go by 10 pm sharp." Scarlet left the two lovebirds alone.  
"Picknick will have to wait then." Burn said even more dissapointed now.  
"Yeah, eating a sandwich in the middle of a war could prove difficult." John smiled and left his wife to go and prepare for battle.

"So the great Lex has left them Rats?" A loco sat on a barstoel, sipping a beer. It was Spike, Zoots former general. Lex and Spike had joined eachother in a bar at the docks, drowning their sorrows...in beer.  
"You watch it buddy. You're not doing to well yourself." Lex's voice was more slury than usuall, maybe it was Tai-San leaving, maybe it was leaving the Rats, or maybe it was the six bottles of beer he'd been drinking with Spike.  
"Why did Zoot kick ya *Hick up* umm... out?" Lex asked waving a beer bottle at him.  
"Ebony snitched on me about me kicking her out." An even less sober Spike said. He was hanging his head just above an empty bottle.  
"She never did like me. Come to think of it, she don't like anyone." Spike gave a drunk smirk.  
The barkeep walked behind the bar to the former rivals.  
"I think you boys have had enough. You'd better pay up" He said. He was a tall thin guy, not much muscle. Spikey orange hair and glasses.  
"Listen to me pencil neck. I'm a loco, I'm a general Loco, and I decide when I'm... I'm ... what was it again?" Spike tried to get a grip on the barkeeps collar. The barkeep though just snapped his fingers in the air. Two very large guys appeared from either side of the bar.  
"I'm telling you now, you've had enough. Now pay up." The barkeep got a mean face. Even if he was a skiny, he was the boss.  
"Sure, how'd you like a couple of new boots?" Lex laughed and held up his boots, though the barkeep moved away as the smell of cheesy feet started tofill the bar.  
"That's it. Boys escort them out." The two bouncers grabbed hold of the two drunks and dragged them to the door. They them grabbed hold of Lex and gave him the hev-ho before throwing him off the dock. Lex was suddenly feeling rather moist as he feel into the shallow water.  
A large splash occured next to him and saw it was Spike. Lex stood up in the waist high water and grabbed a hold of Spike and set him up straight, well, what Lex considered straight at the time.  
"What's this clear and non alcoholic substance?" Spike said, so drowsy he could barely stand up.  
"I think it's called water, you idiot." Lex made a silly smile at him. He put his arms around him and Spike did the same. Holding each other as balance they made their way out of the shallow water, laughing and making a poor attempt at singing 'Give me a home'.

Chapter 49  
It begins

It had began. It was just after 9 pm. The sun slowly hid itself behind the horizon in the western sky. Although it had become darker there was still some light, more of a greyness.   
The city had become a ghost town. The streets were deserted, not a soul on the pavement. No dune buggies, no black vans, no motor cycles, no tribes. It was as if the virus had wiped every one out.  
Pieces of old paper flew around in small breases of the wind.  
A black cat quickly ran across the street. She has a small kitten in her mouth. Probably taken it to a safe place, away from what could happen, from what will happen.  
Three strays walked on the pavement, talking laughing. A girl quickly ran out of an alley to the three boys and told them something. Something definitly bad as the four of them looked around themselves and then quickly ran off the street in to an empty office building.  
Only two places in the entire city, produced enough light, to be seen from Eagle Mountain, where Three shadows stood looking over what once could have been, their city.  
The sources of light were the Norton Bailey hotel and the Shadow Fort, nicknamed by it's occupants.

9.15 PM  
The compound at the Fort was cleared, except for two army turtle cars. Several people were making the final adjustments to them. Trax and Tank were quickly on one car and when they finished with they just had to put in the new starter motor in the other.  
An eerines fell over the entire fort. Hardly anyone talked.  
Hood walked over the metal bridge in the underground chamber, leaning on the railing, looking at several people work on the cars. He then noticed Jason, entering from a back entrance, that only Hood knew about. Jason was definitly getting sloppy. He walked over to the schoolbus and pretended to be working on it. In the corners of the chamber were Little John and Zero Cool, waiting for Hoods signal.  
Hood nodded his head to them. Zero and John walked over to Jason and grabbed ahold of him.  
"Hey, hey...w.w.wwhat do ya think you're doing?" Jason tried to squirm but he realised it was useless.  
"You better have dam good excuse." Zero said, pissed off and dragging Jason away by his arms.  
They took him to the strat room, to be judged by Hood and Tai-San. Chain would have joined but he was just on his way back from the mall, alerting them on when to attack.  
Hood sat at his desk. Tai-San stood on his right, Swift stood on his left, and was definitly in a bad mood.  
"What the hell do ya think you're doing?" Jason exclaimed at them. Zero and John still held on to his arms.  
"We could ask you the same question. We've noticed since Jenny, Swift and I arrived at the garage, you've been kinda nervous." Hood put his feet up on the desk.  
"Yeah well, wtih a reputation like yours who wouldn't be." Jason looked at John and Zero. "Do you mind?" Zero and John looked at Hood who nodded to let him go. "Thank you." Jason said, rubbing his shoulders.  
Tai-San stepped forward.  
"Save what ever honour you still have and admit it." She looked angry, though Tai-San was never good at it.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Jason looked down at the floor.  
Lightning suddenly entered the strat-room. "Hey boss." He said. The kid then looked at Jason, and gave such a look that would have made anyone step backwards.  
"I had Lightning here track you. We know you went to the Locos. We know you're one of them." Hood sat up straight now.  
"Kid, when I get ahold of you...." Jason was fuming. Lightning hid behind Tai-San.  
"What does Zoot know?" Hood demanded.  
"I ain't talking." Jason gave the age old resisting phrase. Hood pointed at Jason, and Swift walked to him. He start sniffing his legs. The wolf stepped backwards and started to growl.  
"Did I mention that Swift hasn't eaten today?" Hood smiled.  
"You wouldn't dare." Jason smirked and looked to Zero, then to John and Tai-San. They all smiled. "Would you?"  
Hood stood up and walked around the desk. He then stood only an inch from Jasons face.  
"You wanna bet?" Hood said in such a cold voice, it even scared Zero and John. Jason gave in.  
"Alright, alright. Just keep the mut away from me." Swift growled at him.  
"He's a wolf, remember that." Hood said, and backed off.  
"I told Zoot that you've rebuildt your tribe and you're attacking tommorow night." Hood smiled.  
"Since you were at the hotel, I might as well get some more info from you."   
"Now that I ain't telling." Hood looked at Swift. The wolf walked over to Jason again and looked hungerly at his legs.  
"Alright. You know he's got his locos back right? Well they're bigger stronger. He's got a quarter of the city in there. At least a hundred." Hood looked at Tai-San. She could read people like a book.  
"He's telling the truth." She said looking deep in to Jasons eyes.  
"I don't have time now to plan for a jury meeting. Take him to the brig." Hood said and sat back down at his desk. Zero and John dragged Jason out of the room. Tai-San and Lightning joined Hood. Once the door was closed they started talking.  
"Glad we planned for tonight." Hood said, relaxing. Swift walked up to him. Hood stroked him on the head.  
"I'm outta here. I gotta get something ready for the party tonight." Lightning ran out of the room, down into the chamber.  
"What about you?" Hood asked Tai-San.  
"A couple of the girls are nervous, I'm helping them concerntrate their minds." She said and walked out of the room. Hood stood up and walked to the glass map. Swift followed him.  
"Now'll you see what's gonna happen when someone messes with me." Hood said to Swift.  
Swift looked up to his master, and rubbed his head against his leg.  
"Don't worry, I've done this before, and I'm not gonna get killed by a teenager who thinks he's God."

Chapter 50  
Departure of a valuable asset

9.45 PM  
"Alright, Shadow Raiders, ASSEMBLE!" Chain shouted across the compound. He stood on the hood of one of the cars. Quickly all of the Raiders assmbled in a straight line front of him.  
They were all wearing old skater suites, as armor. All of them had put on some warpaint on their aces.  
Some had metal bars, others had cruedly assembled crossbows or bows. They all stood as if they were in the army. The line started with Tank, then Trax, Scarlet, Tessa, Luna, Little John, Acid Burn, Rico and Rita. Sam and Zero were in the chamber getting the cars ready.  
Hood climbed on to the hood next to Chain.  
"Alright. I know some of you are nervous, but you've got be strong. Zoot doesn't know we're attacking tonight, so we'll have the element of surprise. You've got instructions. You know your positions. You know what you've got to do. Do your best, do what you can, try not to kill. Only if you are trapped.  
Most of all, stay alive." Hood put his hand to his head. Saluting his tribe. They did the same.  
Chain jumped off the car. "Rico, Rita, you two are driving. I'm taking the bus and picking up the Rats.  
Rendezvous at Nexus street, and keep it quiet." He ran down to the chamber.  
The Raiders broke off from their line and rushed to the cars. Swift jumped in to the car with Rico, Trax, Scarlet and Tessa. In the other car were Rita, Luna, Tank and Little John.  
In the chamber the other Raiders jumped in to the cars. Tai-San and Sam in one car, Acid burn and Zero Cool in the other. Chain started the bus.  
At the end of the chamber was a tunnel that lead up to the road the connected with the exit of the fort.  
The five vehicles had started their engines and waited for the one who would lead the way, Hood.  
He jumped on to his Harley as he put his sword in to his back. "I'm gonna pick a fight." He said and started his motorbike.  
They drove out of the fort, onto the road. Chain took and a different exit then the others as he had to pick the Mall-Rats up.

9.59 PM  
Zoot was rudely awakend by AXL barging in. "Don't you know how to knock?" Zoot shouted as he suddenly stood up from his arm chair.  
"Sorry," AXL apologised. "but somethings wrong."   
"Well, out with it soldier." Zoot said, still pissed off with the interruption from his listening to heavy metal.  
"There's no one on the streets."  
"Well, that's kinda obvious sh!thead, it's night." Zoot calmed down and walked to the table.  
"But I mean, there's no one anywhere, the bars are closed. And I had a scout sent to the Phoenix mall, and guess what." AXL paused.   
"No one there, not even those little brats." Zoot continued his generals sentence. AXL nodded.  
"Put five more on guard, don't let anyone in without my strict authority. Search the hotel for anything. I never did like silence."   
AXL agreed and left his leader.

10.15 PM  
"What's going on?" A dazed and confused Ebony demanded. Several locos had forced their way in to her room, and began searching immediatly. One of them walked up to Ebony.  
"Zoot has ordered a complete search of the entire hotel, that includes every room." He said.  
"Well no one comes in to here without knocking. And next time Zoot decides to search the hotel, have him tell me first. He might be back from the dead, but that doesn't mean I'm not head security." Ebony was really pissed now. Although the Loco was taking it up with his boss, he was sweating like a pig.  
"I'll give him the message." He said with a nervous voice.  
"By the way, did I mention I want you out of here now!" Ebony fumed. The Loco gave her a filthy look before turning to his men. He waved his hands to the door, and the left Ebony's room.  
"I might as well be dead, for all Zoot cares." She said to herself, fuming that some violated her domain.

10.20 PM  
Hood, Chain and John sat behind a turned over car. John and Hood were sitting as Chain looked through a pair of infrared binoculars.   
"Three on guard, two on the roof, and four in the alley." Chain said and hid himself behind the car.  
"You get that Scarlet?" Hood asked, talking into a walkietalkie.  
"Roger, Hood." He replied. Scarlet, Tank, Trax and Tessa were hiding in a shop across from the main entrance. Luna, Acid Burn, Rico and Tai-San, looked over the hotel from the top of the flat next to the hotel. "We see two more coming on to the roof from here Hood." Burn spoke into the walkie-talkie.  
"Zoot must have figured somethings wrong. We stay on schedule. Zero, status?"   
Zero was together with most of the Mall-rats, Bray, Ryan, Jack, Danni, Alice, Ellie, Dal, May and KC. They would be the main attack force.  
"We're cool Hood. Hey, I'll tell ya a joke, what ya get a if ya cross a parot and a catterpillar?" Zero wanted to make Hood actually think of something funny for once, but was interrupted by KC.  
"Ahh come on, that's ancient. Walkie-Talkie." He let the cat out of the bag. Some of the rats laughed while others just thought it was lame.  
"You okay Danni?" Bray asked, holding her hand. "I'll be fine." Danni gave him a quick kiss and smiled.  
"Never did like Zoot too much." May laughed.  
"Boy is he gonna get it." Ryan pounded hist fist in to his palm.  
"I heard that. Don't forget Ryan, Z-man is mine. Understood?" Came from the walkie talkie.  
"Sure Hood." Ryan replied, dissapointed.  
"All we have to do now, is wait." Chain said.

10.30 PM  
"I'm not having it!" Ebony shouted at Zoot. Zoot looked pissed at her.  
"Wether you like it or not, you're finished Ebony. You've lost your edge. After I died you took controlle of the Locos and commanded them with grace, but now look at you. You could barely even take controlle of them Rats, let alone the city. You can barely keep ahold of your job as security chief."  
Zoot and Ebony were in a full fledged argument.   
"Things take time. And having those nutters that worship you around the city, wasn't much of a plus, seeing as they tried to KILL me!" Ebony stood right infront of Zoot.  
"Well if you had done a better job, maybe I wouldn't have to come back from the dead to save your sorry ass. Things change Eb, and I don't know if you noticed, but I'm doing a much better job than you could ever do."  
"To be honest, I don't really care if I have to join the Mall-rats, as long as I'm no where near you!"  
Ebony stormed away from her superior.  
"Eb, if you leave, any Loco that sees you will run you down like a dog!" Zoot pointed at her. She stopped in the doorway and looked straight in to Zoots eyes.  
"Not only do things change, we've changed. I'm changing, and I couldn't care less, about you, or anyone else for that case. Why don't you take your little army, and stick it where the sun don't shine!" Ebony stuck her middlefinger up at him and then left the room.  
"You'll never survive." Zoot said too himself and watched the door close.

Chapter 51  
Light versus Darkness

10.38 PM  
The Shadow Raiders and Mall-Rats were prepared for attack. All were entertaining their worst fears. Each of them, relying on their instincts to guide them.   
Hood had left Chain and Little Johns side and had gotten to the top of the flat across from the hotel.  
He saw that the flat was taller than the hotel. Hood was gonna take advantage of this.  
He had a kinda of crossbow with a steal cable attached to it.  
Aiming it at the ridge just above Zoots window, he then shot it. Although it made a loud sound hitting the concrete wall, Hood did notice that Zoots light did not go on. Probably as sleep or not in his room.  
Looking at his watch he felt his heart pounding. He had faced the Chosen and The Wolves, but this time it was the one person, who could be his equal.

10.40 PM  
"Two minutes. Zero, prepare first wave." Chain said as quiet as he could in to the walkie talkie.  
"Roger. Rats, battle positions." Zero signaled the Mall-rats.  
"Scarlet, two minutes, prepare second wave." Chain continued.  
"Got that. Guys, this is it." Scarlet signaled the others.   
"Chain, I'm the diversion." Hood spoke into the walkie-talkie. "Got that, see ya inside." Chain replied and put the walkie-talkie away.  
Hood held hold of his sword which hung on the steel cable. He was gonna slide down the cable straight in to Zoots room.  
"Bond, eat your heart out." Hood said, before pushing off the ledge and sliding down the cable.  
The speed he went with was extraordinairy. He saw the window get closer. Hood held his feet up and crashed full force through the glass. It shattered in millions of pieces as it fell on to the floor.

"NOW!!!!!!!!!" Zero shouted as he ran out in front of the ragin Mall-Rats to the Horton Bailey Hotel.  
The were screaming as they massacerd the Locos on guard.  
May and Danni had fun playing tennis with a locos head, as Ryan threw a nother into a trash can.  
"Death or Glory!" Scarlet shouted and lead his group to the side of the hotel, the staffs entrance.  
The kitchen and supply area were overrun by them.  
When a loco burst in Scarlet threw a dagger at him. It went straight into the chest, instant death.  
The hotel was being overrun, but there were still more locos inside the recreation area.

Hood climbed to his feet as he cleared the shattered glass from his black cowboy hat. He noticed that he had lost the long feather in the rim of it.  
He looked around the room, seeing it was completly empty. He noticed the Loco who came to his feet from his bed, still in full armor. He looked at Hood who looked back at him.  
"Does this room come with room service?" Hood asked before hitting the loco with the handle of his sword. The Loco fell to the ground.  
After putting the Loco back to bed, Hood slowly made his way through the door and in to the hallway.  
No one was arround. There wasn't much light, just a soft illumination.   
Knowing that the rest of the tribes were down stairs fighting, Hood could easily make his way to Zoots real room.

"Where's Trax?" Tessa shouted over the fighting.  
"He went ahead of us." Tank replied, before strangling some poor soul.  
"Make your way to the center of the hotel. That's our standing ground." Scarlet shouted to his group.  
The Raiders and the Mall-Rats fought with all their strenght and before long they got to the recreation area. They poured onto the pavement as they came out of entrance.  
They were shocked with what they saw, to say the least. On the otherside of the pool was a huge army of what appeared to Locos. They seemed to have new uniforms. The uniforms were still the biker suits but painted white, and on it in red the mark of Zoot. Their helmets the same.  
The Raiders and Rats stopped at the edge of the pool, as did the locos on the otherside.  
Chain and Bray stood in front of their army.  
"Where is he?" Chain shouted, to the locos.  
On the terras behind them Zoot appeared, as if on cue.  
"Right here." He shouted over his army.  
"It's over, Zoot! Stand down your army." Chain demanded. He turned to Bray, for back up.   
"Never, we are the Locusts, this is our city. You will bow down to us!" Zoot pointed at them.  
"Martin," Bray shouted now "it's over. You've caused suvering in the city. Every street, there's a kid, just like us, who is starving. Please, Martin."  
"Don't you've EVER call me that, Rat. Your tribe killed me, remember that!"   
"Please Martin. Do it for the city...do it for us." Brays voice softened.  
"Bray, you're as foolish as the day the virus struck. You have no idea what I've had to do, to achieve this."   
"Please, Brother."  
The entire crowd was gobsmacked. They never knew that Zoot was Brays brother. Especially the Locos.  
"LOCUSTS! ATTACK!!!" Zoot shouted as he pointed at Bray. "POWER AND CHAOS!"

Chapter 52  
The light of the shadows

War began. Raiders went one way around the swimming pool, the Mall-Rats the other way.   
Scarlet and Chain were first in the pack to attack. Knocking the first two Locos down, they had trouble with the next three barging their way at them.  
Bray and Ryan on the otherside of the pool, were knocking down locos with metal bars, not killing just disabling them.  
The tribes were in full rage, nothing in the world would be able to stop them. Zoot watched with pleasure as the chaos errupted in front of him. His tribe were willing to die for him, something he had enjoyed to be honest. Warcries echoed withing the courtyard, some of chears of glory, some of agony.  
The numbers of Locos began to decrease as the war raged, even though many of the Shadow Raiders and Mall-Rats were getting injured, they continued fighting.

11.12 PM  
The Shadow Raiders stood side by side with the Mall-Rats. Many had bruises and scratches, and had trouble standing, but they stood with pride. There were Locos laying around the courtyard, many unconscious or to hurt too stand up, some who were dead.  
The two tribes, stood in front of the pool, just behind the terras, waiting for Chain and Bray to give the order to attack.  
Zoot stood on the terras, gloating at the tribes before him.  
"Gees Bray. Always the hands on. Get a clue, you can't beat me." Zoot shouted over them.  
"Your army is gone Zoot, the Locos are no more." Bray replied.  
"Or do you happen to be blind as well as stupid?" Ryan added.  
"Dear, dear, dear Rats. Being dead as taught me one thing, if not any. Nothing is as it appears." Zoot swept his arm backwards.  
"Second wave! Engage!" Zoot shouted, as a large garage door behind the terras started to open.  
The Shadow raiders and Mall-Rats expected the worse as fifty more Locos stormed out from the garage. They surrounded the terras to protect Zoot.   
"Now do you see Bray? I will never die. I am God!" Zoot shouted as he raised his hands to the sky.  
"God is only in the eye of the believer. If there are believers." A voice shouted. A shadow stood on the roof of the changing rooms behind the terras. He held a sword and had a black cowboy hat with a long feather in the rim. It was Hood.  
"So you did turn up." Zoot said looking up at him. Hood took a quick run in before jumping from the roof of the changin rooms, doing a salto in the air and landing on the terras.  
"Did you miss me?" Hood said, grinning.  
"Don't you have a shadow to hide in?" Zoot said sarcasticly. He moved slowly to the back of the terras.  
"Not if you're around and have the Locos." Hood reached for his sword on his back.  
"Oh no you don't. See I still have one more card up my sleeve." Zoot said, wagging his finger. AXl suddenly appeared from behind Zoot. He was restraining a girl.  
"Jenny." Hood said shocked, as the girl happend to be the girl that helped him rebuild his tribe.  
"Well you kinda know the hostage routine. So you know, gimme your sword." Zoot held his hand out.  
"Hood don't you dare do that!" Jenny shouted. "You'd better shut up Winter, or you'll be feeling something very sharp against your throat." AXL held in his hand a knife.  
"Surrender, Hood!" Zoot shouted now. AXL tightened his hold on Jenny. Hood was hesitating, if he was to fight AXL would kill Jenny. But if he handed his sword, he'd be killed.  
Hood looked at the Shadow Raiders and Mall-Rats, all waiting for what he would decide. The Loco's were still standing guard around the terras. He suddenly saw Scarlet, holding in his hand a dagger.  
Scarlet looked at Hood and nodded slightly, only enough for Hood to notice.  
"Well, Hood. What's it gonna be?" Zoot asked again.  
"I choose door number.....three." Hood smiled. Zoot looked confused. Hood gave a loud whistle.  
A short thump was followed by a heavy thump as AXL fel to the ground, wielding from pain in his shoulder. A small dagger was stuck in it. Jenny saw this oppertunity to get away.  
Jenny shouted to the crowd. "Move!" She jumped off the terras and over two Locos guards. Before they could react they were knocked out by a round house kick, courtesy of Jenny.  
The Mall-Rats and Raiders started to move quickly. The Locos went into persuit. Before long the courtyard was empty. Except for two figures, still standing on the terras. three if you count the idiot laying on the ground squirming in pain.

It all came down to one fight, on moment in time, which would decide the fait of the city.  
Hood drew his sword from his back, the slinky steel sounding as it came out of it's harnas.   
Zoot put a hand on his back, and also revealed a sword, nearly the same as Hoods. Zoot had been practising lately, since Hood had returned, knowing sooner or later they'd fight.  
They were in the ready position, circling the terras.  
"This looks formiliar, you know." Hood said, grinning as they circled each other.  
"Huh, I've never fought you before." Zoot replied.  
"Oh wait, now I remembered, it was when I killed that nutter that worshipped you." Hood laughed.  
Zoot began, he made an aim for Hoods head. He quickly ducked out of the way.  
"I feel sorry that Brady's has a corpse for a father." Hood was trying to get Zoots anger to controlle him, making him less agile and more destructive. Zoot made an attempt of kebabing Hood but he blocked it with his sword, only being hit by the sparks flying off the two swords meeting.  
Hood pushed the attacking sword away and targeted Zoots chest. He dodged it.  
The fighting continued for several minutes. The swords becoming heated by hitting each other so often. Every so often AXL would try to attack Hood, but every time meet the handle of Hoods sword in his face. Finally something happend.  
AXL, who was laying the ground behind Hood, tripped him up falling down backwards. When Hood fell AXL rolled out of the way, and stood still hurting from Scarlets dagger behind Zoot.  
Hood layed on the ground, his sword to his left. Zoot took advantage of this, and pushed his sword up to Hoods throat. He smiled.   
"Let's see ya get out of this one." Zoot smiled, still pressing the sword against Hoods throat.  
Hood looked at Zoot, and started to laughed. Zoot looked confused.  
"What's so funny?" He asked.  
"I'm expecting company." Hood turned his head to the right, still laughing. Zoot saw something in his left ear. It was a small earpiece, with static sounds coming from it.  
A heavy rumbling noise could be heard outside of the Hotel. It kept getting louder, and louder.  
Zoot still was holding Hood down. The noise just kept getting louder, it sounded like a heavy diesel engine, getting closer.  
The ground start to shake, softly at first but it shook wildly as suddenly something was crashing into the outside of the Horton Bailey Hotel. The back of the changing rooms was being completly destroyed. Dust and bricks were being flung in to the air. Zoot let go of Hood and ran to the front of the pool, followed by AXL, for safety. Hood made a flip and landed on his feet, but not moving from the terras.  
The front of the changing rooms start to collapse and a storm of dust burst out. The lights of the courtyard couldn't shine through it.  
Hood turned to the collapsing wall. Not frightened of what could have made such an impact.  
The dust began to settle, but the heavy engine still sounded.  
When the the dust settled it revealed a massive piece of machinery. Heavy catterpillar tracks, thick steel armoring and a huge cannon on a rotating top. The massive tank stopped right in front of Hood.  
A small hatch at the top opened up. A small teenager popped his head up.  
"Hey, do I know timing or what?" It was Lightning, smiling, and the first time he got drive some serious machinery instead of his go-kart.  
Hood turned to Zoot and AXL. Zoot was about to run and continue fighting Hood, but the massive cannon began to move and was now aimed at him, disencouraging he from making any sudden moves. Zoot looked seriously pissed off.  
Hood pointed with his sword to Zoots, which was still in his hands. Zoot understood and threw the sword to Hood, who caught with the handle in his hand. He then handed it to Lighting, who ducked back in to the tank.   
Voices started to sound from behind in the tank as the Shadow Raiders and Mall-Rats walked in to the courtyard via the path that Lightning in his tank had cleared. They all grouped behind Hood.  
Bray, Danni, Chain and Jenny joined Hood, who leaned his sword against his shoulder.  
"Now as your big brother said, it's over." Hood said.  
"What happend to my army?" Zoot asked, confused as why the Locos hadn't killed the lot of them.  
"They've resigned." Jenny said, pointing at the now entering group of Locos, with their headgear off.  
Jason had joined them, defeated.  
"Hood, let's go home." Zero said at the front of the crowd.   
"Not just yet." Hood said, smiling. "Lil' Lightning! Fire!" Hood laughed. The three tribes, were all shocked, terrified that Hood would kill a teenager with a machine of mass destruction like a tank.  
"Hood, NO!" Bray shouted.   
"Don't worry." Hood smiled. The tanks diesel engine started up again. Zoot was practicly p!ssing himself. The cannon the tank moved upwards slightly aimed at the night sky.  
A huge explosion sounded as the cannon fired an object in to the sky. It was Zoot's sword, swirling into the air, at an unbelievable speed.  
Zoot dropped to his knees, releaved that he wasn't killed.  
"John, Tank. Take him. We got one more thing to do." Hood said. He turned away and started walking out of the courtyard, through the new entrance, courtesy of Lightning.  
He joined Jenny. "It's all about intimidation." He said, smilling.

Chapter 53   
Exodus

The sun began to rise in the morning glory. Several birds were therping, but were rudly interrupted by the large crowd that had assmbled at the north of the city, just at the edge.  
Every tribe in the city had turned out for a completly different way of justice. Everyone was there, the Gulls, tha Jackals, the Orphans, The Demon Dogs (though at a distance), Mall-Rats, Shadow Raiders, what was left of tribe circus, and the new clean up crew of the city... the Locos.  
Zoot had his hands tied as he stood in front of the crowd.  
The Shadow Raiders and Mall-Rats stood at the front. Bray, Danni, Trudy, Chain, Little John, Jenny and Hood stood at the front.  
Little John walked forward to Zoot with a borrowed dagger from Scarlet, and cut the ropes around Zoots hands, and then walked back.  
Hood stepped forward.  
"As we are a democratic society, well most of us, the vote was a draw. To execute you or to put you in prison for life." Hood took his sword from his back, and leaned slightly on it.  
"As I was the guy that wanted you dead the most, consider yourself lucky."   
"What? To be made a fool in front of every tribe." He looked nervously at the demon dogs at the back, holding large silver baseball bats, waiting to have a go at him.  
"No Zoot. Something I consider far worse than death. Exodus!" He looked serious at this point.  
"You're banishing me from the city?" Zoot said shocked.  
"No, not from the city. The entire of Quadrant 2!" Quadrant 2 was the part of New Zealand in which the city and the farms were. It stretched from either side of the southern island.  
"You can't do that to me!" Zoot wanted to stay in the city, he had lived in his whole life.  
Bray stepped forward. It was the hardest on him. Having to exodise his own brother.  
"You had your chances Martin. You blew them. I hate to even say this, but.... I don't consider you my brother from this point." Bray had trouble looking in to his brothers eyes. It was as if his eyes were trying to kill Bray.  
Hood began his speech.  
"Zoot or Martin, which ever. For killing innocent teenagers, for torturing children for no purpose,  
We, the tribes of the city, here by banish you from Quadrant 2, for ten years. No more shall you talk, walk, or even look at any one in this quadrant. Should you return, you shall be killed. No mercy shall be shown." Hood stepped forward to Zoot.  
"Give me your hand." Zoot extended his arm. Hood grabbed a dagger from his coat, and a small leather stick. He handed the leather stick to Zoot. "Bite down on this. It helps." Hood whispered.  
Zoot stuck the stick in his mouth, it prevented him from biting his tongue or crushing his teeth.  
Hood took the dagger and Zoots right hand. He began to cut a circle on the hand, with a line straight down the middle. The blood dripped on the soil. Zoot crushed the leather stick with all his strength to releave the pain.   
Hood pulled Zoots hand up to show it to the tribes. Some girls turned away, from the sight of the blood.  
"This is the mark, of Zoots exodus. You shall always be able to recognise him, by this scar." He shouted across the crowd.  
Jenny ran forward with a bandaid and rapped it around Zoots hand. Zoot whispered something to her.  
"I thought you...you loved me." He was nearly fainting. "You were wrong....again." Jenny said before walking away. Little John walked forward with a backpack.  
Hood turned back to Zoot.  
"That backpack has a months provisions in it. Use them wisely." He looked at Zoot. He gave him a look like a corpse.  
"Zoot, your exodus begins." Hood pointed with his sword to the forests, through which Zoot had to travel to to leave Quardrant 2.   
"See you in ten years." Zoot mocked and began walking.   
When he was well over 15 minutes into the forest the tribes left each other and started back in to the city. Hood was joined by his tribe, and walked back to their cars, and drove back to the fort.  
Bray and Trudy were the only ones left. Everyone but them had gone back to the mall. Trudy craidled Brady, who was just smiling.  
Trudy looked at Bray, and then moved closer. They hugged each other. Trudy began to cry long streams of tears.  
"I wish he'd come back." Trudy cried as she let go of Bray.  
"He will, but in ten years. He knows what will happen if he comes back before that." Bray said.  
"Come on, let's get some hot coco."Bray walked with Trudy back in to the city, Brady smiling, and laughing, not knowing that her father would be gone for so long.

The sun was now nice and bright and shined brightly over Eagle mountain.  
At the blown up research center which the Mall-Rats had left so tidy, *cough from narrator* three shadows were quietly whispering.   
They were rudly disturbed as a whistling sound could be heard. It was getting louder.  
An object was probably falling. Probably the satelite, which communicated with Mall-rats, well that's what the three shadows believed.  
Before the knew it, a long object, like a spear, fell from the sky and landed in the very top of Eagle Mountain. It fell with such force that it inbedded it self in to a large rock.  
The mysterious shadows ran up to the top to see what it was. As the got closer they saw it was a long steel object, with a handle. One of them recognised. It was Zoots sword.  
The figure turned to the other two and said in a girls voice. "It's over."

Chapter 54  
Relaxation in a permanent vacation

Hood stood on the roof of the fort, looking over the city. It was quiet, but still bueatiful. It had been a month since they had defeated the Locos and banished Zoot. For once the tribes weren't fighting. Though they weren't really working together much, it was better then having them chop their heads off. He saw a group of Locos, having to clean up sector 7. They'd be cleaning for about a month. Their judge of course was Danni of the Mall-Rats.  
He then turned to the North-East. Hood saw some of the demon dogs, doing what they do best. Destroy. Luckily they were just keeping it to that sector.  
Hood rubbed his chin, and realised he had to do one more thing.

"Hood? HOOOoooooood! Where are you?" Zero shouted through the compound. He climbed several stairs and crossed the long metal bridge hanging above the compound to Hoods room.  
He knocked on the door twice.   
"Hood, you there?" The door suddenly opened to reveal Hood, with half his chin with shaving cream on it. He'd taken his t-shirt and hat off, but was still wearing shades.  
"Do you ever take that thing off?" Zero looked at him. Hood leaned his head.  
"What is it?" He asked impatiently.  
"We have to decide what we're gonna do with hotel."   
"Ask the Rats if they want it. If not then see if you can rushel a couple of volunteers and open it up as vacation resort." Hood wanted to get back shaving his hairy chin.  
"Okay doc." He turned around but before he left he quickly noticed something.  
"By the way, you missed a spot." He quickly ran down the stairs to the compound. Hood looked at himself in the mirror only to find out that Zero was pulling his leg.

"Rock beats scissors." Sam said. She held out her fist.  
"Four out of five?" Tessa pleeded.  
"No, it was your idea, now you've got to do the washing." Sam smiled and walked away.  
"But there aren't washing machines, if you forgot." Tessa tried to get out of it.  
"There's a small river about 200 meters behind the fort. Oh yeah, try to get oil stains out." Sam laughed and walked into the underground chamber.  
Tessa scowered away to the supply room where they kept their dirty washing.  
She opened the door and picked up the dirty washing basket. On the top was Sams overal, greasy, oilly. She picked it up and looked at it, she got a good idea how to wash.

Tai-San sat in her room at the fort, with a packed bag beside her. Once again she was having second thoughts. She reminded herself of Lex, and when they went out. Why did she leave?  
It was definitly not to rediscover herself. She had found out during the battle that Lex had also left the Mall-Rats, and as she was able to weasel some info out of Ryan, mainly because of her.  
But for some reason, she didn't feel the same as she used to. Not like her profound self, like she was the spiritual one of the tribe. Now she was in between.   
Tai-San played with a necklace she had on. It was a silver chain, with a diamond dolphin on it. She remembered how her father gave it to her for her 6th birthday. She can still remember what he said.  
"You... big girl now, San. One day, you will have responsabilities, and you will take good care... of the people that care for you." Her father back then had trouble with english, but Tai-San was brought up in both languages. Her mother had died when she was born, her father when she was twelve.   
After that she went to live with her Grandfather, Chi Lang. When she was fourteen, a guy moved in with them. His name was Hood, he was fourteen as well. He was rough on the edges, but her grandfather had taught him well in the ways of life. Especially his sword fighting. Tai-San though leaned more towards herbal remedies.  
Tai-San sat down on to the ground and lighted a couple of candles. She crossed her legs and put her arms on her knees. A bit of meditation always did the trick.

"I am completly bored." Rita, Rico, Luna, Scarlet and Tank sat at the long wooden table in the middle of the compound. Little John stood next to them at a barbeque, making some burgers for supper.  
"Throwing daggers at wooden boards painted as Aliens is also getting rather...repetitive." Scarlet said, playing with a dagger on the table.  
"Every car in the chamber is working perfectly. There ain't nothing to restore." Tank said, holding his head in his hands.  
"What about a party?" Rita suggested, raising his head. "Been there, done that." Rico replied. Rita slummed back down.  
"Rat-Race?" Luna thought out loud. "Mall-Rats already done that. It was rigged of course." Rico commented. Little John in his chefs hat dealt out some hamburgers to the hungry crowd.  
"Gees guys, I've seen more creative ideas in a cheerios box." John gave a hamburger to Rita.  
"Well have you got a better idea?" She said sarcasticly. John sat down, with a hotdog in his hands.  
"As a matter of fact, I do." He started eating the hotdog. Everyone turned to him, waiting for John to continue. "What?" He said with a full mouth. "What's the idea then?" Luna asked.  
"Gimme a minute." John said, chewing down his hot dog. "We open a dune buggy circuit."   
The teenagers at the table started agreeing.  
"We could use the karts at the junkyard." Scarlet pointed out. "The wastelands in the south east are perfect for a track." Rita said, pointing away.  
Quickly ideas were being thrown all over the place. After they'd finished eating Chain joined them.  
"What's up?" He asked. "Chain, ya think we can use the wastelands as a dune buggy circuit?" Rico quickly said. "Sure. I guess so." Chain quickly picked up a hamburger, that was left over. He took a bite out of it, realising to his disgust it was cold. Though he continued eating it.  
"I'll go tell Lightning." John said and walked away from the dinner table.  
"Who made this stuff?" Chain said looking a bit disgusted as he finished the burger. The entire group pointed at John without him seeing it. "Better a mechanic than a cook." Chain laughed.

Chapter 55  
A call from the past

Ebony walked through a deserted alley. On a piece of metal was written, ZOOT LIVES. Who ever wrote that was right. She was lucky she was kicked out of the locos before the Shadow Raiders attacked. Now though she had no one. The Mall-Rats would never take her back, betraying them for Zoot. Shadow Raiders was out of the question. Come to think of it, she didn't like any tribe in the city beside the Locos. They had the most potential to dominate the entire city.  
She kicked an old pepsi can. A rat quickly ran out of it and made Ebony jump. She felt her heart pounding against her chest. She got herself together and started walking again.  
"What to do. What to do." She quietly said too herself.   
She walked till she got to the end of the alley. Without realising it, she had end up at the docks. All the docks were, were several piers, about 300 meters long each. There were also several container cranes above railtracks, some small office buildings and a site with containers.  
Of course. The containers. Ebony ran down the street to where the containers were kept untill they were transported on freightships. She looked at the containers. Usually these kinda containers weren't locked, they just had a safety seal, to make sure no one could smoggle stuff in them.  
Ebony took her pick of containers and walked to a dull red one. With difficulty she moved the bars meant to close the hatch. A click sounded and it opened.  
"And whats behind door number one?" Ebony said and opened the hatch.  
In the container were boxes. She walked inside and looked at the paper slip with it. It was difficult to read, but she could make some sense of it.  
"Durex? Ohh, wait. Durex." She realised what the contents of the boxes were and laughed a bit.   
Since no one else made them she might as well use some of them. Naturally she didn't want to end up like Salene and Trudy. Pregnant.

Hood was laying on his bed. The light was on, so that he could read his book. Even if it was a postapocelyptic world, you still can find good books to read. It was called Reservoir Dogs. A book that a friend of Hoods that wanted him to read three years ago, though Hood never got around to it.  
The door was flung open. Hood stood suddenly up, throwing his book on the ground. A rather pissed off Sam stood in the doorway. Hood noticed something different. She had her clean overall on. Though something was more prenounced about it. Maybe it was the tight clivage it was showing, or the legs were too tight, or the sleaves to short.   
"Hi Sam. Something different? New hair?" Hood tried not to laugh.  
"Look what she did. She shrunk my favorite overall." Apperantly she had trouble breathing as her... chest was being squashed.  
"Who are you talking about?" Hood wondered, a giant grin on his face. As Sam was about to breath in, a button burst of her top and only one button remand, keeping the top of the overall from letting go of Sams, full potential. The button that flew off flew by Hood and hit the metal locker behind him.  
"Tessa, that's who." Sam scowered. She walked over to Hood, but had trouble moving her legs.  
"Well you have been giving her a badtime after the fight." Hood admitted, sitting back down on his bed. He picked up his book and layed down again.  
"Hood, you can't let her get away with it?" Sam asked pleading. Hood looked from behind his book.  
"No evidence she did it on purpose. Anyway, she was doing the washing, these things happen." Hood smirked and went back to reading. Sam closed the door behind her and walked to him.  
"So I gave her a bad time, I admit it. But shrinking my overal is going to far." Hood looked over his book, at the the button that start to wiggel. He had trouble as well, not staring at the immense clivage.  
"Well, come on. You have to admit. You could do with a new wardrobe." Hood shrugged.  
Sam sat down next to Hood. He noticed the little button wiggling even more now. About to burst.  
"Alright, I'll let it slide this time. But next time, I'll put a can of oil in her bed." Sam stood up again and made her way to the door. As she leaned to open it, the final button burst on her top. Sam had her back turned to Hood.  
"Aah sh!t." She said. With one hand she pulled the two ends of the top together, and turned to Hood, who was trying to hide the immense grin on his face.  
"You wouldn't happen to have a back door?" She asked, affraid to go out in to the compound.  
With one foot Hood moved away the carpet on the floor, to reveal a metal rooster.  
"It's the vent system. Go straight forward and take a left at the end. That's your room." Hood still not looking from his book. "I know this fort like the back of my hand."   
"Thank you so so so much." Sam was so glad she didn't have to face the others like that. Just before she climbed in to the ventilation system, she gave a quick kiss on Hoods cheeck as apprecation.  
Hoods facial changed to a seemingly surprised one, as Sam climbed down with trouble. She closed the rooster behind her she started to crawl. Hood moved the carpet back over the rooster.  
"You still got the magic." Hood laughed too himself as he layed back down on to the bed, continueing to read his book.

The sun had deserted the blue sky and hide itself behind he mountains. The pale moon hung itself in the sky. Any Lycanthrope would have loved it.  
It was around midnight and everyone was asleep in the fort. Well that was to say, nearly everyone.  
A single figure stood on the roof. Looking over what he had buildt up once more. A tribe that is strong, and selfsufficient. They could take care of themselves. The cycle was nearly complete once more. And once again, he would leave.   
He never controlled what happend. He didn't believe it was God. He just believed that the powers that be, made him do this. Take care of the good, destroy the evil, never allowing him to know true happines. But he had no controlle. He just did what he did, and he did it good.  
He walked to the stairwell and went back to his room. Without realising it, he was gonna begin a different cycle, one he would never suspect to occur.

The morning had arrived once more.   
Lightning was working in his workshop, trying to repair his gameboy. He had just gotten so far and he wasn't gonna let a small glitch get in his way of finishing it.  
He sat on a chair, trying not to inhale the fumes from the circtuiy he was frying. At the same time he was listening to a cd, hooked up to his patented soundsystem.  
"Do you believe...we could start again." Lightning was hopelessly singing to himself. "Gee, I'm kinda good." He laughed.  
Though his singing was interrupted by his cd being scrambled. The entire soundsystem, started making weird sounds and freaking out.  
"Dam it!" He said too himself and hit the box of wires and circuit boards. It helped somewhat as the weird sounds stopped, and changed to some kinda of blieping.  
"Just great." He stopped hitting the system and tried to go back to working on his gameboy. He disgarged the sounds as random transmissions coming from the left over satelites orbiting.  
But as he continued working, he recognised some of the sounds. The sounds were morse code. He listenend to them, and found out it repeated itself every 5 minutes.  
"Finally. Something to do." He laughed and ran out in to the compound.   
He thought of what to do first. Awaken Hood first, or awaken the entire tribe. When he realised what happend last time he woke the tribe with the alarm bell, he remembered that Scarlet barged out of his room and threw a dagger just in front of his feet.  
He quickly ran up the stairs and over the steel bridge to Hoods room. He knocked on the door, hoping that Hood was already awake. Though he was surprised to see he wasn't.  
Hood slowly opened the door. He only had his jeans and his cowboy hat on.  
"What is it?" Hood asked in he dry voice.  
"I'm getting some morse code, downstairs on my soundsystem. I think you should check it out." Lightning quickly said, excited that he finnaly had something new to do.  
"Okay, okay. Go get Zero and Chain. meet 'em *Yawn* downstairs." Hood closed the door and Lightning quickly ran across the bridge and went to Chain and Zero's rooms.

"Geez kid. You couldn't have waited two more hours?" An annoyed Chain said as he walked with the other three to the workshop. "No, I think it might be something important." Lightning answered.  
He opened the large door to his workshop. Hood, Zero and Chain followed Lightning to his sound system. "What is it?" Chain asked.  
"It's morse-code." Lightning answered, the beeping and blieping continueing.  
"What's it saying?" Chain asked.  
"It's saying: beep beep, bliep, beep, bliep, beep, beep." Zero said, smilling. Chain gave him a soft punch in the stomach.  
"Translate it, and translate it fast." Hood ordered. Lightning saluted him. The three of them walked out of the workshop.  
"You got an idea of what it is?" Chain asked as they walked in to the canteen.  
"Yep, and I just hope it isn't what I think it is." Hood said, worried and got a bottle of water out of the cupboard.

Later the rest of the Raiders woke up, some having to do their shifts, others just because they got bored of laying in bed. Swift the wolf had been out all night, in the mountains.  
Acid Burn and Little John, finnaly got around to that picknick they wanted on the roof. Rita was making breakfast for the others in the canteen.  
Lightning ran out of his workshop, across the compound and in to the canteen. He looked for Hood and found him sitting with Zero and Chain.  
"Boss, I think I go it." He said waving a piece of paper. Lightning walked over to Hood and the others and showed them the piece of paper.  
"Three words. At first I thought I got it wrong, but then I just ran over here when it stopped receiving." Lightning layed the piece of paper on the table. Several other Raiders stood beside them, seeing what was going on.  
The paper had three words, with some crossed out words around it. 'Hood Filius Periculosus, Cara.'  
Hood read it and then sat back. He looked worried.   
"What does it mean doc?" Zero asked. At this time all the Raiders stood around the table.  
"It means I've got to go." Hood stood up and walked out of the canteen. Chain quickly ran to him, why he left. The others in the canteen tried to figure out what the last two words meant.  
"All I know, is that it's latin." Lightning answered the others.  
"I think it means that there's something wrong." Zero suggested and stood up. He and the others walked out of the canteen.

"What does it mean?" Chain argued.  
"I don't want to talk about it." Hood replied. They stood on the bridge between Hoods room and Chains.  
"Don't gimme that bullsh!t. You're gonna tell me what Filius Peri whatever means, and you're gonna tell me now." Chain said loudly. Hood wiped his hand over his face. "You sure you want to know?"  
Chain nodded.  
"Just don't tell the others. They don't need to know." Chain agreed. the two of them walked to Hoods room. The others on the compound watched as the door to Hoods room closed.  
"What ya think?" Rita asked.  
"I'd say it's a secret." Tank said, in his deep voice.

"A year or two, before the virus and me coming here I stopped for a couple of months in Australia. There I met a girl. Her name was Cara and she was my age. We fell in love. After three months I moved here, and left her in Australia. A complication happend two months before I left...." Hood grabbed a glass of water from his desk and took a long sip. He then continued.  
"She, became pregnant. I helped her as long as I could, but I had to leave. I gave her all my money to support the baby when he or she would be born. I never heard from her again. I gues the baby would be two and a half now." Chain looked gobsmacked at his friend. His one eye, wide as possible.  
"Hood, I never knew." Chain said.  
"You weren't supposed to. No one was. She didn't have any parents. Only her big sister knows. She knows I'm still alive. She sent the message" Hood had finished his testament.  
"But what does Filius Peri what ever it was, mean?" Chain continued his enquery.  
"It means 'son danger'. I have to help her. I have to leave." Hood started gathering several things. He opened a drawer and took out some keys. He then walked to the metal locker.  
"You still got that stuff?" Chain asked surprised as he saw the metal locker was still full with the guns, from when they were still the Raiders.  
"When I leave, you'll be the Big Cheese." Hood lifted a shotgun out of it's rack, and hide it next to his sword on his back.   
Chain remembered the last time he held one of the rifles. Spike and his Locos were about to attack the fort. Hood began insulting Spike as he they had a stand off. When Spike made a single move towards Hood, Chain shot a bullet right in front of his feet.  
"I understand." Chain put a hand on Hoods shoulder. He turned around. "I can't stop ya. I'd probably do the same thing." Chain smiled. Hood nodded. The shook hands and embraced each other.  
"Thanks. See you down stairs." He thank his best friend as he walked out of the room.  
Hood looked around his room, soon to be Chains. He closed the doors to the metal locker and locked it. He took the keys and threw them in the air and caught them again. 

The Shadow Raiders stood around Hood and Chain in a circle. All of them on their left knee.  
Chain stood in front of Hood. Beside Hood stood Swift.  
"I, Leader of The Shadow Raiders, must leave you all. I can not lead you anymore. Therefor I pass leadership of the tribe, to you. Chain Reaction." That was the first time some body used his entire full name. Of course it wasn't his real name, he'd changed it when the virus attacked.  
"Bow down Chain." Hood said. Chain stood on one knee. Hood took out his sword and raised it above Chain. He then touched each of Chains shoulders and then his head. Just like the knights of the round table.  
"And rise, Chain Reaction. Leader of the Shadow Raiders." Chain stood up straight. Hood handed him the keys to Hoods room and the metal locker.  
"Thank you Hood." Chain said. "Behold, your new leader." Hood shouted to the others. A loud cry from the Raiders ingulfed the air of the fort. They started cheering. "Chain Re-Action, Chain Re-Action!" They group surrounded Chain. Tank and John lifted him on to their shoulders. The Raiders carried Chain, cheering to the canteen where they would celebrate his promotion. Swift followed the crowd. As the crowd moved into the canteen, they did not notice the figure, who slowly walked to the gate.  
The only person that did notice, was Tai-San, who stood looking over the compound from her room.  
"You've finished Hood. The third cycle has finished, but another lies ahead." Tai-San smiled, as she saw her best friend leave.   
Hood walked they dirt path, that lead from the Fort, back in to the city. He put his sword back in it's harnas, next to the shotgun. The wind started to wave his raincoat through the air. As he walked down the path, he started singing too himself.   
"When I look over my shoulder, what do ya think I see? Some other cat looking over....his shoulder right back at me." The rest of that he started whistling.


End file.
